-Part-time is WHERE IT'S AT. It doesn't get much better than this, especially if you're like me in that you need some time away from your kids and your house, but not too much time. It makes the week go by quicker and you have days built into your week where you can get daytime errands done, such as taking the dog to the vet or getting grocery shopping done while the sun is still out.
-While I'm not looking forward to working a full 40-hour week, I am looking forward to having the full-time paycheck again. The pay cut I took was a little rough, especially since babies need about $45,000 worth of food/clothes/stuff a week. I admit I am a bit insecure about my meager paycheck anyway, and to have that cut in half was a real ball buster. I won't exactly be rolling in it, but I'll at least get back to where I originally was in terms of how much anxiety I experience in the days leading up to pay day.
-Now that my son is in daycare, the alone time I can get on those two days a week is divine. I love my son, I love my husband, I love my pets. But I love my alone time. A lot. This isn't a newsflash for anyone with kids, but ever since my son was born, my time alone to do whatever I want has almost ceased to exist. If I don't have a baby in my arms, I'm holding his laundry basket. Or I'm getting his dinner ready. Or I'm bathing him. Or I'm rocking him to sleep. Or I'm wiping his nose. Or I'm cleaning his high chair. Or I'm picking up his toys. Or I'm making dinner for the adults. Or I'm doing my own laundry. Or I'm at the store buying more food. Or I'm emptying diaper pails. Or I'm taking him to the doctor. I think you get it...your time no longer belongs to you. It belongs to everyone and everything else. Would I change it? Nope. Well, maybe I'd hire an au pair if I could afford it. But it was a shell shock for me to learn and experience just how much brain power, energy, effort and doing for everyone but myself it would take with a baby. So to have any alone time to do anything, household obligations included, is a big win.
-Can I tell you a sick, twisted secret? Even though I'm a huge fan of alone time, I still miss my baby when he's at daycare. Probably a lot more than I should. But I can't help it. Everyone told me that this time goes by so fast, and he's only little and young once, and I should enjoy every moment. I'm determined to do just that.
-As a return to full time looms in front of me, I am exhausted just thinking about it. I no longer have those two "buffer" days during the week where I can catch up on sleep if I really need to. The thought of that makes me want to crawl into a hole and sleep for the next 17 years.
Moral of the story: if you're a new mom and you can pull off working part time, DO IT.
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