I GOT A JOB!!!!
Some might think that it's not a big deal and say "I've been working my entire mother/fatherhood" or "you mean you made a minor life change" or something to the degree of minimizing my alter of reality.
It really and truly has been a HUGE change! The great thing is that I actually like my job!
I have had my dental license for a long time and have actually been in the dental field since I was 15 1/2, so I applied for a position at a local and wonderful orthodontist! I am now an orthodontic assistant.
My challenge has been THE CHANGE! I have been a "stay-at-home-mom" for over 7 years and loved the ins and outs of it (even when things were tight financially and even when my daughter was crying and whining about nothing for the billionth time of the day), but it was time AND we needed the money. The hardest change is the fact that I am no longer in control of what happens to my children as much. I take them to either daycare or school and don't see them until I get off. Their day is now in the control of other adults (whom I feel blessed to have found people that care and look toward my children's best interests). I do miss them a lot too.
But, I am also very excited to be a help to my husband, financially. It's been a tough road for him to take care of all of us, especially in the east bay of California (probably one of the most expensive areas to live in the US) and with one income!
A huge "hats off" to him for keeping us afloat for such a long time.
It's been tough at times…
...like when he ran into a deer and fractured his foot and we had to rely on the state's disability for a bit (that totally sucked! They hardly give enough for anything)…
...or the holidays when we would have to scramble for money to get gifts ( I did a lot of odd jobs and sold a lot of handmade items to help a little)…
…but we did it! Amazingly, we survived! AND my children Highly benefited from those "tender years" being taken care of by mommy. I would have never taken back a moment that I had with my babies those seven plus years.
Now life is going by SUPER fast and it's hard sometimes to grasp all that I have to do and all that is going on without me around. I pray daily that I have joy, wisdom and knowledge in all the situations that are presented to me…cause I truly can't do it all on my own strength. Thankfully, my faith and love in God has kept me abreast His timing and encouragement has never let me down.
I hope that this find a parent out there that is considering going back to work, or a parent that has been working from the beginning….
I just want to say "keep up the great work"! Being a parent is hard whether you're a stay-at-home-parent or a working parent! And there isn't a right or wrong answer for each situation that is cut and dry! We all just do our best…and that is all WE can do on our own strength…just remember that there is another strength that we can all tap into. God's strength…and that might sound like a copout or a myth or silly, but no one really understands it until they embrace him.
It's kinda like "the force" from Star Wars…You must trust the "force"….you must believe in the "force" for you to be able to utilize the "force".
Think about it…
Pray a little prayer about it…
I have, and it's changing my life daily!
Many blessings!
Mermom
