Letters to the Editor
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Balance
I returned to the workforce after an eight year hiatus. To say it was difficult is a huge understatement. Not only are you competing with much younger applicants, you are dealing with the fact that much has changed on a technical level since your exit. My boys needed me. No question. Having gone through a divorce, it was my duty to be there to minimize the scar inflicted by me on my children.
I used my brain...constantly. In order to give my kids the well rounded exposure to the outside world, to be a contributing members of society that are able to engage with its inhabitants on an intelligent level, I had to constantly think outside the box and learn about things that I wanted to introduce to them. I honestly think that anything that one does not fully immerse oneself into has the intrinsic capability of turning into a mind numbingly boring and pointless venture.
I now have two high school, gulp, almost college aged boys that are all the better for my devotion to them, at the expense of a career. Funny thing is, I went back to work, starting as an admin asst in the Engineering Department of the city in which I live. I was immediately identified as someone that would be a great fit in a highly technical position, GIS, and I am now a GIS/Engineering Technician II. My boys are proud of my work, and how I have managed to move up in a relatively short time.
The beauty is, they were taught the skills they needed by someone with a vested interest in their success: their mother. AND they were given the opportunity to exercise those skills while still under the protective but removed oversight of their teacher. I am so glad that I decided to not only stay home with my boys, but also that I showed them how important a good work ethic is and that mom is a human being with societal value. Might seem like a gimme, but it is not. So many of the kids that have stay at home moms are under the impression that mom is at their beck and call, frankly, because the mom is over-invested.
As with all things, strike a balance.