Community Voices for Health

By: Abby Keane

We’ve been going through a lot of changes in our household lately.  I was lucky enough to find a new job, and I started just two weeks ago.  When I was telling people about this job change, the response I kept getting was that the change was a “no-brainer.”  And in many ways, it was.  I am working less hours, making a little more money, and am still able to carry the benefits for my family at a very reasonable cost.  Just the extra time with my boys was enough for me, the other parts are really just great bonuses.  However, as I’ve found many times since my sons were born, no major decision is ever a “no-brainer” for me anymore. 

There is so much to consider when you’re planning on changing your kids’ worlds in any major way.  For us, we had to consider that more time with me meant less time with both of the boys’ grandmothers.  We had hoped that whenever I changed jobs, we would be able to at least pull Eamon out of daycare, although Finn would probably still attend preschool a few days each week, and that wouldn’t happen with my new schedule.  Would the boys be alright with having “Nanny Afternoons” and “Gramma Mornings” instead of “Nanny Days” and “Gramma Days”?  I realized that very little else about the decision mattered to me other than “Will it benefit my kids?”  I knew that I could understand change and deal with it, even if it wasn’t everything I hoped for, but my kids had to feel as though the change was only for the better.

Ultimately, the benefits far outweighed any possible downfalls (of which there were very few), and I started my new job two weeks ago.  I have loved the extra time with the kids.  Unfortunately, we’ve spent two of our four extra mornings together thus far at the doctor’s office, but even that wasn’t bad, because it wasn’t a matter of worrying about whether I would have trouble leaving work, or being late to work because my son was sick, it was a relaxed trip that didn’t feel rushed or stressful.  I’m enjoying planning the different activities we can do together this summer with our extra time, and I know the boys will love it.  And (something I consider to really just be a bonus) I really like the job!

Finn has known his weekly schedule for a while now, and can tell us if tomorrow is a “Kids Day” (daycare), “Nanny Day,” “Gramma Day,” or “Mommy and Daddy Day.”  Now he knows which days have “Mommy Mornings” or “Mommy Afternoons,” and hearing his excitement at night when he tells me the next day is a “Mommy Morning” makes any stress and worry I felt at changing jobs melt away.  I know I am incredibly lucky to have found this position, and I’m looking forward to all the benefits it brings my family!