Working Outside of The Home

I've had all kinds of reactions when people find out that I'm now working outside of my home. It was a choice that Jason and I made prayerfully and we  put lots of thought into it before making the decision. When we were married back in '04 the economy was booming and it seemed that there were plenty of jobs for everyone in our country. We had our first son in '06 and the decision for me to stay home with him was what we felt was the most important thing for our family, so Jason continued supporting our family on his own while we were still both going to school. Those years were tough and blessed. I wouldn't change them. Then in '09 the economy crashed. All those jobs that we thought would be there when we graduated disappeared over night and company's were going out of business all over the place. Our own company that we had worked so hard on was dieing right before our eyes. We still felt that if the economy could just hold on till Jason finished his degree we'd magically be all right and be able to get a job that would provide us the means we needed for our family. Well in 2010 Jason finished his degree and started applying for jobs only to find that a bachelors degree was not enough anymore. We were competing against people that had been in the workforce for years and had masters degrees. Even with years of experience and a masters degrees they were still not being hired. The frustrating realization that we might not find anything for a long time hit us. Then in 2011 our surprise baby girl came into our lives and with that joy of having a baby girl the realization that at our current state we could not afford a van to transport these three beautiful kids around in. Now we do not need a van but when you are trying to buckle kids into their seats and you the mom are pretty much the only one that can buckle the six year old in because you are the only one with an arm small enough to fit in between the seats there is something wrong there. So more children was out of the question. We could not save anything at our current state. So Jason began job searching and looking and looking and looking again. We finally realized that we could probably look for years and still not find anything in this area. So the answer was right in front of us I needed to go back to work part time and help my husband provide for the needs of our family while he keeps looking for another job. I work as a bookkeeper for a little printing company and for the five hours a day that I'm there I'm quite happy. My coworkers are nice and my manager is fair. My children seemed settled with their new babysitter and when school starts Eric and Josh really wont even know I'm gone.
Sure it's been hard when people all around me continue to ask why I'm working, what am I thinking, or the best one, " you'll miss everything that Eden does" these comments are hurtful and make my decision harder but the decision was made with the Lord and for now it is the right thing to do for our family. I have gifts outside of being a Mom and now I'm able to share those gifts with others. Women were put on this earth to be a helpmate to their husbands. Jason and I work best when we are working together. I'm thankful for this new opportunity to grow. Our family will benefit from this time in our lives.