One important support that I have daily is my husband. My husband provides emotional support, encouragement that what I’m doing is okay, and motivation to continue to grow. I am trying to be a stay at home mom while I finish graduate school and while my baby is young. I often feel that I put too much pressure on him to bring home enough money for us but he reassures me that what I am doing for our daughter balances his stresses. He helps me to keep active and involved with life by giving me his errands to run while he works and to challenge me to get other things done for me such as school work, exercising away baby weight, eating healthier, and working on my craft projects. If my husband were not as supportive I am not sure that I would be able to stay home without a great amount of guilt and I’m also not sure that our family would run as smoothly each day.
Another support that I have is from my Dad and stepmom. My
husband, baby, and I currently live in their basement. They provide a great
deal for us including meals and daycare whenever needed. This really helps a
lot when I have quick errands to run or appointments that shouldn’t involve a
baby. Living with them allows me to stay home with the baby because we can
afford our bills each month with only one of us working. Without this support
we would have to put the baby in daycare while we worked and this is not ideal
for me.
A physical support that helps me each day is our dry erase
calendar. This allows me to keep track of when my husband needs to work his
jobs so I can help him get there on time and also so that I can plan my free
time along with his. It also helps me keep track of what I need to accomplish
each day. Without this support I would be very disorganized and I wouldn’t get
nearly as much finished on time.
I imagined a challenge that could happen at any time for my
little family; not having daycare available by family members and having to
return to work. This is a great possibility because my husband is being trained
as a manager and can be transferred once he is trained. If we were to have to
pay full rent and other bills entirely on our own I would have to return to
work. Unless I would work opposite of his hours, we would need to put the baby
in daycare. I would need a lot of emotional support if this were to happen. I
have great separation anxiety when it comes to leaving her, and that is only
for a couple of hours. I would need to research a great deal of daycares and
give some trial runs to find the right fit for us. Living away from family and
friends would also mean we would have to find some close friends to socialize
with, which can be difficult for adults with children. I imagine I would find
friends with children the same age as my daughter so that we could share the
delights and challenges of having children. Without that I’m afraid we would
become very lonely with just each other for company. It would be very challenging
to move to a new city again, as well as putting my baby in daycare, but with
the right support of friends and my husband I think the transition is do-able.
Hi Jennifer, Beautifully written.I love your idea about the dry eraser calendar.Never thought of that.I guess I need that physical support to stay organized as this semester comes to a close. Happy Holiday to you and all who give you the support we all need in life.
ReplyDeleteI really liked reading your blog. You and your husband sound as if you all balance each other out very well. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteJennifer-
ReplyDeleteYou are very lucky you have the supports you need to allow yourself to be home with your baby. It would be extremely difficult to have to move away from that support system. I hope that if this does happen to you that you and your husband find ways to make it work for both of you.
Hi Jennifer,
ReplyDeleteIt is wonderful to read about your family and the ways in which they support you while you raise your baby and attend school.
I, too, had babies while I was in college- I graduated with my bachelor degree while 7 months pregnant with my second, and am now attending grad school with three growing girls. Just like you, I couldn't have done any of it without the support of a loving husband.
Good luck with your future goals as a professional and parent!
~Lisa
I recently had to move my son from a private sitter who is a good friend of mine to a child care center. It has been a hard transition emotionally for me and my son so I can understand you concern for having to put your baby in child care.
ReplyDelete