I’ve dipped my toes in all the working mom waters within the past ten years – full-time with children in daycare, part-time with children in daycare, full-time stay-at-home with no outside employment, and full-time work-from-home with a babysitter as needed. There were different reasons and seasons for each type of employment.
Recently, I took on a temporary, full-time position, working out of the house each day at my children’s school for five straight weeks. I affectionately said I was “In my Librarian Era.”
It was exciting and a huge change for our family. It was the first time in a long time that I had to get myself and three children ready and out of the house for the day by 8 a.m. Oh yeah, who would cook, clean, and do everything I usually did while working at home?
I survived! This experience made me think about what my future would hold next for employment. Here are the things I consider when looking for the right position for myself and my family.
Childcare
What childcare coverage do I need for this position? Unfortunately, we have no family to care for our children and require all childcare to be paid for. Our regular babysitter is growing up, and she just started working full-time. Without someone on demand, how would this work?
Pay
Does the position pay enough to cover childcare costs? After I pay for childcare, do I have extra money that makes this position worth it for our family? This is why I became a stay-at-home mom with three children under three. Financially, does this make sense, and is it something I must do to pay for XYZ?
Benefits
What benefits do I need for my family? When I first had my daughter, my company’s health benefits were far better than my husband’s, making it impossible for me to be a stay-at-home parent at the time.
Flexibility
My children are finally in school all day! Oh, wait, I need to plan for school holidays, summer, the half-day every third Tuesday of the month our district has. This school year, I had a child who was home sick each week from Thanksgiving through the New Year. Will this job allow me to take days off sick children? How will I manage days off when my children are home sick or need to be picked up from school?
The Mental Load
If I accept this position, how will I handle cooking, cleaning, after-school activities, etc.? How will my partner play a role in this?
Pride
Will this position allow me to grow in a career and as a person outside of my role as a mother? Will taking this job allow me to contribute to our household financially? Do I want this for ME?
Desire
Taking away all talk of finances and benefits, what do I want to do? Am I passionate about this work?
The Future
Will this job provide for me and be feasible when my children are grown, and childcare is not a consideration? Will this job contribute to a pension or retirement savings?
EVERY MOTHER WORKS, but not every job works for a mother.
I’ve met many amazing women who have maintained their careers after becoming mothers and have found a new career path in motherhood.
