Pondering Going Back to Work

I quit working and when the kids started school I started volunteering alot at the school, eventually I got on the substitute teacher list and that worked great! I would not recommend you take on a job that would take time away from your family. You will see that your about-to-be teenager will need to be closely supervised for the next few years. Go to his school and volunteer until you become indespensible and they offer you a job. Middle school is a tough place, you'll want to be able to be there for him. I adjusted to the missing income. I have not bought a new car in 8 years, I haven't shopped at the Galleria, I clip coupons, we cut back on going to the movies, Santa only brings one gift for each child, etc, etc... good luck with what ever you decide.

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If your reason for going back to work is to contribute to the family income, you may want to consider working from home. There is a great WAH business opportunity that I was recently introduced to. I am now partnered with Melaleuca, The Wellness Company. If you are interested in ridding your home of toxins, Melaleuca offers alternative products that are "green". Melaleuca is an Inc. 500 company. If you are interested in going green with the opportunity to earn extra income go to my website www.workathomeunited.com/K.

Hi L.-

I think it just depends on what kind of arrangements you can make for the care of the children while you're at work. If you are going to need to enroll them in some sort of daycare or afterschool care outside of your home, you'll probably want to stick with a typical 8 to 5 so that your schedule fits with the daycare hours (most daycares close at 6:30). If you have family or friends that will watch the kids on a flexible schedule then you would have more options.

I don't know what your work background is, but one suggestion would be looking into going to work for the school in some capacity (office staff, teacher's aide, substitute teacher, etc.) This way your schedule might coordinate better with your children's schedule, you also would have summers off with them.

Good Luck!
K.

I left my corporate retail Human Resources position 3 years ago (60+ hrs/wk). I guess I really did things the opposite of most SAHMs, as I continued working while my son was younger and then came home when he started kindergarten. I can tell you I'd never give up being home when he gets home from school and being able to spend summers and other school breaks with him. I sometimes felt I missed adult interaction and friendships from work, so I decided to work from home and am very passionate about what I do. It gives me all the flexibility I need and has given me the balance in my life. I also agree with L., though, about a job with the school district. It will give you a schedule similar to the children while still providing a paycheck. These jobs may not pay as much as a corporate management position, but that's when you have to ask yourself what price do you want to put on your freedom?

Good morning L.,

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Thank you and best wishes.

Sincerely, L.