A Change in Perspective | Mar 11th 2009
For over four years I’ve been the primary breadwinner for my family while my husband has taken on the role of stay-at-home-dad.
Although he has his own online business, his primary task was watching our two girls (among a multitude of other things).
It’s been a boon for my business. In the last four years, I haven’t had to worry about snow days, or sick days or week-long school vacations. My husband was always there to watch our children so I could work.
Until last week, that is. The cost of healthcare, combined with the burden of multiple expenses finally became too much for my salary alone.
We ultimately concluded that he had to go back to work, even if it meant a large percentage of his weekly paycheck would go towards health insurance.
We’re lucky. My husband’s old boss, the owner of a woodworking shop in Kingston, was happy to take him back on a part-time basis. As of last Monday, he started working 6 hours a day, four days a week. That’s enough to qualify him for healthcare benefits (including dental!)
The shift from a household with one working parent to a household with two working parents has been a bit rocky.
One of the things I’d forgotten was how kids invite chaos. Even the most flawless plans can go awry when unexpected things happen – like snow closings or strep throat.
Take the snowstorm of last week, for example. School was closed on Monday, but we’d both planned to work. I didn’t have any pressing deadlines or client calls, so we made the decision for me to miss work.
My girls were shocked when they realized I was the one staying home with them. In fact, I was a little shocked myself. The whole experience made me realize that in the past four years, I’ve taken very little time off beyond a week or two of vacation days (mostly scattered throughout the year).
I have to say, I loved taking that day off. I had a great day with the girls and it was very nice not being tethered to my computer all day.
I don’t know why it took me so long to work some personal time into my schedule, but I’m really glad I discovered that the world (and my business) doesn’t stop turning just because I had to take an unexpected day off. My kids are glad too.
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This article was originally published in the Poughkeepsie Journal on 3/7/09