Why did you return to work?

[Jaycee]

I returned to work 2 months ago when my DS was 6 months old.
I was dreading it, I hated the fact I had to leave him but now I can honestly say that I enjoy coming to work, as I see it as a bit of me time.
Plus DS is with my mum and he loves it, she loves it so I know everyone's happy!
It took me a long time to stop feeling guilty about enjoying being away from him but in the end I've come to realise as much as I love being a mum, I'm still me as well and needed to get a bit of me back.
In the beginning returning was purely financial but now I enjoy the financial side of having more money and also the adult interaction as well!

[Epacris]

Great thread, thanks for asking.

The number one reason I went back to work was because I was going absolutely INSANE!!!

I'm A TAFE teacher, I LOVE my job and my boss and colleagues are fantastic. I initially went back when DS was 3 months old for 6 hours a week, one night of 3 hours teaching with a few day field trips here and there. DH would mind him at night and Mum would have him when it was a day trip. I loved this arrangement, it worked really well for all of us.

When DS was 8 months old I then switched to working one full day a week (with Mum minding him). But, by the time DS was 10 months I was completely depressed and going insane. I found my days with him so utterly draining and totally unfulfilling. If we were not out of the house by 9am he would constantly whinge and tear the place apart. It completely did my head in.

So, I found a family daycarer (which was a rocky road too but that's another story) and went back full-time. Full-time is four days per week because of the amount of marking and prep you have to do at home in your own time.

So DS has three days in FDC, one day with my Mum and Fridays with me. Life is really, really, really busy with both DH and I working full-time and we are doing major DIY renovations to our house too. But, I wouldn't have it any other way, I really feel like this is a choice we've all made and although we're often really tired, we're happy too. We'll probably do something similar when the next one arrives (soon now).

[belfie]

Great thread - interesting to see what people have done.

I've just started mat leave (this week ) so my plans are all theoretical. I've applied for 12 months mat leave (3 mths paid), and I plan to return p/t (which my work will support). My reasons for going back are a few:

• I've always enjoyed my work, and I'd like to "keep my hand in". I have also seen girlfriends get "stuck" outside the workforce and find it hard to get back in after a long break. I didn't do years at uni & postgrad studies just to lose touch with the workforce.
• I grew up with a SAHM mum with very low confidence (her mantra to us was always - if' it's too hard, don't do it!), and I think I always envied friends whose mums DID work & were more confident (not that the two are necessarily related)... but maybe I feel I can avoid being like my mum?
• If I DO go back p/t & have a subsequent PG, I can get the p/t paid mat leave again... nice! And there's lots of nice perks at the big corporate for which I work.
• I THINK (we'll see) that I'd like the me time...but who knows how I'll actually feel once the time comes!

So I'll let you know in 12 months how it really pans out! tehehe.

[Amethyst]

hmmm I took 12 months Mat leave and i thought i'd love being a SAHM but I really struggled with it.... I think it took me almost all of those 12 months before I could really say I loved being a SAHM. I was riddled with guilt and self-worth issues....and I wish I had just let up on myself and enjoyed that year with DD. Anyway, at the end of my mat leave, my employer wanted me back full time and I just didnt want to do it. I had a great job, conditions and pay-wise, but i didnt love my job - it was very stressful and i was overworked and I was pretty certain nothing had changed since i went on leave! SO I ended up quitting which I am hoping proves to be the best move for me because its made me rethink my career path and I am planning on studying next year to become a teacher.....

But I was needing something to stop those self worth doubts and give me back a piece of my identity I guess, so I am working two 4 hour shifts at a supermarket and I am really enjoying it! The extra money is nice and the adult interaction/just getting out of the house and being me and not mum, has been really positive for me. I didnt need to work for financial reasons but mentally its been really worthwhile.

I still say I am a SAHM even though I work casually, So for me it was just to make me feel like I was contributing financially, even if its only a tiny small bit, and not mooching off DH and give me some pride back in myself. And for some reason it has made me a MUCH better SAHM - I am doing so much more around the house than I was when I wasnt working, I feel so much better and I now LOVE being a SAHM. I feel really lucky now!

[DisGirl]

I had 12 months off on maternity leave, going back when DS was 11.5 months old. I'm lucky that I get 6 months of full pay, which I take as 12 months half pay and THAT is the reason I came back. We were always planning on having two children close together and my plan was to come back for six months and then get another year off on full pay. I'm extremely lucky that my mum was and is more than happy to look after DS while I'm at work and they both enjoy themselves immensely. Turns out that I'll be taking 8 months off from being a SAHM rather than 6, which is a struggle physically for me, but the financial benefits far outweigh the cost right now.

We didn't REALLY need for me to go back to work to get by, but the benefits of the extra year's pay (8 months working/six months paid mat leave) will set us up far better for me working part time or not at all once my second lot of maternity leave is over.

The amazing bond between my mum and sister (she lives with my folks) and DS is a fantastic side-effect of all this as well

[*Twinkle*]

I went back to work when DD #1 was 5 months and went back 3 days a week part time, and with DD #2 I went back when she was 3months and it was fulltime as I go offered a job.