*Note: This was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Do you have a careers story that you'd like to share? Sign up with the Yahoo! Contributor Network to start publishing your own finance articles.
When my son was four years old, I divorced my husband. Working full-time to support my son and me became a necessity. But the demands of motherhood often clashed with my new job. There were holidays when the daycare was closed, or days when my son was sick. And there was the eternal race against the clock in the morning.
I Tried a Home Daycare
When I was a toddler, my mother increased the family income by opening a home daycare. When I heard that my neighbor was doing the same, I was happy to leave my son in her care when I went to work.
To test my son's happiness in his new surroundings, I returned early on the first day. Sadly, my surprise visit revealed that my neighbor had too many children in her care. My son was dirty and crying, as if he was neglected throughout the day. I realized that I would have to drive farther and pay more for quality child care.
I Choose to Work Near My Son's School
I decided to send my son to a professional school. Despite the expense, I chose a Montessori school, which my friend's child was attending already. This way my son would have a friend in class to ease his adjustment.
Though I received three simultaneous job offers, I took a small pay cut to work near my son's school. This simplified my rush-hour morning commute. It also meant that in case of an emergency, I would be only minutes away from my son.
I Paid a Friend for Reliable Holiday Care
I made a deal with a friend who was a stay-at-home mom. On holidays when my son's school was closed, I was able to leave him in her loving care. I offered my friend $30 a day, because this incentivized her to keep offering me this service. The solution was a win-win situation for us both. She had more pocket money, and I had reliable care that I could count on for the entire school year and summer break.
I Called on a Distant Relative for Emergency Care
Wanting to leave nothing to chance, I asked my cousin if he would agree to be my emergency back-up care. Running his own business (a French bakery), he would be able to take my son in to work with him if I could find no one else. My cousin agreed happily, because he knew he could count on me not to abuse his kindness. Indeed, I only used his services once, when my friend's child became sick during the holidays, and I didn't want to leave my son with her.
I Reached a Sick Day Agreement with My Boss
Since my parents lived in another country, I was unable to count on the help of grandparents on days when my son was sick. Nor could I send a sick child to mix with other children in a school or daycare. I, therefore, decided from the start that on sick days I would be the one caring for my son.
When I interviewed for my job, I made this point clear to my future boss. I mentioned that my son was generally healthy, but in the event that he should become ill, I would have to take a sick day myself. I did, however, offer to work from home on such days, doing the office billing and my boss agreed.
I Took My Son to Work on Special Days
As a working mother, I often felt torn between my desire to excel as a parent and my need to earn a good income. To involve my son in this side of my life, I brought him to my workplace on a few weekends. I gave him a tour, showed him the family photos on my desk and allowed him to play a game on my computer.
On special days like Halloween or Christmas, I would bring my son to work with me. He learned that when Mommy works he cannot disturb her. My son would read or listen to an audio story with earphones and keep himself busy. This helped him appreciate the important role I played as the bread-winner.
I Invested in a Laptop
Though my boss did not want to upgrade my work computer to a laptop, I decided to do so myself. With the laptop, I could work on morning mails from bed and arrive at work half an hour later. And if I needed to leave work half an hour earlier, I could type up my boss's motions and petitions in the evening. The $800 I invested in a laptop enabled me to juggle my job and motherhood with far less stress.
I Found Ways to Make Money from Home
To supplement my income in the evenings, I taught myself HTML from an online tutorial. I invested in a website building software and learned how to create websites. I then spent my evenings writing articles and publishing my online content. At the end of the first year, the advertisements on the site afforded me $40 a month. It wasn't a fortune, but it was money I set aside for a special treat for me and my son.
2 comments