The first two weeks were a bit of a slog -- dressing up every morning (business attire), sharing space (I'm sharing a cubical with another part-timer), being away from the kids, the kids getting used to the new schedule, Joshua's work having even more evening/weekend meetings than usual -- but we made it through relatively unscathed. During my first day of work, I spent most of the morning mentally fretting about what the children would do while I had meetings -- "do I have enough books and snacks to keep them occupied?" -- only to realize that I wouldn't have to juggle them while also working. The realization was both a relief and also a sad point as I knew that I would miss them.
This last week we got a little more into the groove of things. James seems to be happy with going to childcare (they have trucks, Matchbox cars, painting, outside balls and a sandbox), Alma loves staying at school all day (lunch! another stint on the playground! more work time!), and I'm liking how interesting my position is and how challenging it seems like it will be going forward. I work with nice people who seem to want me to succeed. Plus, there are perks to working in an office full of women: chocolate, and lots of it. I was getting a little skinny recently but I've already noticed my pants are getting just a tad bit tighter.
Even though I've been working consistently since I graduated from college (with little two or three month breaks here and there for traveling or finding a new gig after a move), I haven't worked outside of the house with set hours in a very long time. Even though I've had jobs (mostly internships) that started off with a desk and set hours, somehow employers meet me and then decide that I should have a more casual set up -- i.e. work from home, set my own hours. This job seems firm about having set hours, looking a certain way and spending a lot of time developing relationships with people at the college. These parts of the job will take a little getting used to but I think that I'm up to the task.
Once both kids are at a Montessori school for full days, this new position of mine will pair perfectly with it. In the meantime, there is a little bit of juggling that adds a bit of complexity to our lives. Luckily, it is only 25 hours a week at the office (plus my flexible hours working for Penn) so I have afternoons, evening and weekends with the children. I'm feeling grateful, if not a little run down by this new schedule (paired with my yearly October/November cold).
This whole transition has me really coming to realize how much my own mother sacrificed going back to work and juggling everything. Gosh, mad props to all the ladies who have done this before. While its a little reprieve from full time parenting, one still has to get all that parenting/housework/life plus the additional work to set children up to be away from you (i.e. packing lunches, packing napping gear, etc.) done in the hours between coming home from work and collapsing on the couch.
There are two reasons I went back to work: 1. I finally found a position which sets me on the career trajectory I've been wanting. I promised myself when we had kids that I would continuously look at job postings and consider only the perfect position that could nearly outweigh the costs of going back to work. This new position was the first one that fit the bill. I'm so grateful that my employer thought I fit the bill too. 2. Joshua and I are committed to sending the kids to Montessori school. It is a sacrifice but we (especially Joshua, I will admit) feel that it is critical to their long-term learning success. Not only the Montessori learning environment contributes to this long-term goal, but the exposure to the diversity in the classroom (both socio-economically but also racial/ethnically) and the attention to the children's learning style which may pick up on any special attention they may need.
I'm excited for this opportunity and hopeful that support from family and friends can buoy us through the tough spots in the transition.
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