Growing up, I always dreamed of having a nice job and doing something I love. I spent thousands of dollars and worked hard to earn a degree that I’m not using at the moment. However, it’s a challenge to get my dream job when it seems to come down to experience and who you know. So, for now, I will use my talents for another job that will keep me afloat. At one time in my life, I was available any time for my job, and I dedicated everything to any organization I worked for, but after having my baby, things changed.
Don’t get me wrong, work is important. I need funds to pay bills and other things, but what I did for my job before having a child, I can’t do anymore. I want to spend more time with my daughter, have time to take her places, teach her things and develop an amazing relationship with her. I am okay with cutting my work hours to do that. Honestly, it took me a long time to realize this. I was so engulfed in trying to catch up on bills that I missed a lot of milestones that I can’t get back.
For several reasons, I decided to resign from the job I had been with for over two years. As I was in the process of leaving, I promised myself that I would not work for an establishment that could not fulfill the requirements of me being with my daughter.
I left that job in July of 2021, and since then, I have experienced six different job titles in different companies. That’s a lot in just over a year. Yes, I know. I’m not saying this to brag. I’m saying this because, as a single mother, it’s hard to balance work, being a mom, and all the other things that it takes to be human in this world. My wish is to find a balance between work and home life.
This search takes time, and to be honest, I’m still going to try. At the moment, I’m working for a company that I enjoy. I’m experiencing the work / life balance I’m looking for. I get off at a decent time, I have some weekends off to enjoy family time, and I can actually enjoy the holidays. If you ever worked in retail stores or in a job that is open 24 hours, you understand what I’m saying.
As a society, we spend most of our time at work. We are working more than we are at home, and we barely get paid enough to make ends meet. Some managers don’t want to understand because they have to do what is best for the business. I get it. But I truly wish most employers will understand that in order to have happy employees who want to come to work, they should treat them well and understand their point of view.
As parents, we take on a lot. But what makes being a parent one of the best titles to have are the memories we have with our littles, and to make those memories happen, we need to spend time with them.
