I am that crazy.
I’m getting ready to watch my friend Melissa’s kids who are approximately the same ages as my kids. If you never hear from me again, you’ll know what happened.
We traded, yesterday she watched my kids, today I’m watching hers for an hour and Friday I will watch them for four hours. Friday I’m watching my friend Tara’s kids too, so that means 3 one year olds, 1 three year old, one 2 year old and one 4 year old. Yes, I am THAT crazy.
Monday one of our employees quit, which caused a huge upset, he was a friend before he was an employee. Poor Jim, he’s had so much to stress about before all this, and now his workload has doubled. I wish I could help him more. I’m thinking about working one more half day a week, that would make it 3 half days/week. I could help free up both Jim and his business partner, so they can focus on their most important tasks.
I go back and forth about leaving my babies, but I’m going to work during nap time, so I won’t be missing much. I think for the time being, it’s just a “sacrifice” we need to make. The business is just on the verge of doing REALLY well, and I need to take the next couple of months to help it get over the “hump”.
I think the reason I struggle with leaving the kids is that I NEVER saw myself as being a working mom. I’ve always strongly advocated staying at home. I’ve definitely changed my stance to a degree; I see that I do SO much better if I get a break from my kids. I have a hard time self motivating and having to be somewhere three days a week helps so much. Some people are just so much better at being home all the time and being organized with it; it’s been kind of hard figuring out that I’m not one of those people. I’ve expected myself to be, but I’m just not.
As long as the kids seem happy and I don’t feel like I’m slacking on my job as a parent, we’ll try this. We’re just taking it a month at at time to see how it works. I want everyone in my family to be happy, even me.
Category: parenting struggles 6 comments »
March 16th, 2005 at 11:44 am
It is SUCH a hard balance. But this is coming from a working (full-time) mom. Its all about finding the balance…no matter how much you work. Sometimes I feel like the worst mom in the world…but then I come back to realizing this is how it needs to be for right now. Good luck finding the balance!! And more importantly, GOOD LUCK ON FRIDAY with all those kids!!! ;)
March 16th, 2005 at 2:19 pm
Good luck with finding your balance. Its all about finding what’s best for you and not making yourself feel bad because things didn’t turn out the way you expected them. What matters most is that all of you are happy and balanced and that especially means you!
March 16th, 2005 at 2:40 pm
Allison, I have checked out your site occasionally since our husbands teamed up with the business. (It’s great by the way!) Speaking of “sacrifice” – I definitely know what you mean. I always imagined myself being a stay-home-mommy. I don’t like working full time to support our family while he builds the company, but yet I know that it is important. I just wanted to say “thank you” for the sacrifices you and Jim are making and also for the relationship they have built with the business. I think they are on the right track! Now we just have to wait and trust God to guide them to success! I have also found that being away from my babies tends to make me a stronger mom. I try to make the time that I do spend with them the absolute best it can be. It’s hard. (And I didn’t like the taste of single-motherhood last week when they were in L.A.!) Hang in there! Let me know if I can do anything for you.
March 16th, 2005 at 3:12 pm
Hey hey Allison – I was floating around the knitting blogs and found your herringbone scarf. Thanks so much for posting the pattern. It’s a gorgeous scarf and I have some variegated from Brooks Farm that I can’t wait to try it with.
I don’t have kids but for what its worth, I can appreciate your situation. It sounds like you are wonderfully focused and doing an awesome job. :)
March 16th, 2005 at 4:58 pm
WOW – maybe I’ll bring my two over on Friday toO! Just kidding. Good luck you are definitely braver than I would be! I know you’ll do great… good luck!
March 17th, 2005 at 10:58 am
I struggled with mountainous guilt when I went back to work after 7 years at home. It’s a process. Now, as they are older, my kids really appreciate the fact that I work, do housework, do yardwork, go to their activities. They see me exhausted, they see me very happy, they see that I am a good mommy above and beyond all else and they know that that is my number one priority. I see that it is with you, too and that is what counts.