Can I revise my answer?

Posted by kara

I get this question a lot: Do you miss working?

And I always say with a big smile and sometimes a laugh: Not at all!

But I’ve been thinking about it a lot this week. Maybe because Minoru recently asked me or maybe because Paul’s work moved downtown. Either way, I’ve decided that yes, I do miss it. I miss being a part of the working bus riders. You know… you wait at the bus stop and you know that you are all headed to work. I miss having to dress up once in a while for a meeting. I miss those chai tea or frappuccino treats. I miss talking to Laura every morning and every lunchtime. I miss those funny work people and the nice clients. I miss feeling like I can prep a file in my sleep. I miss the feeling of getting all this tangible work done. I miss working downtown and being able to run errands (read: shop) without having to drive to the mall. And boy do I miss that paycheck.

But a lot of that was in the pre-Toshi time. Laura isn’t there anymore. Riding the bus might be different with a toddler that doesn’t like to sit still. I didn’t have time to really shop when Toshi was in daycare and my paycheck went directly to Toshi’s daycare fees. So, yeah, I miss working, but it’s not the route for me right now. I haven’t regretted my decision at all, which is a nice feeling.

I’m actually surprised at how much I like being at home. I thought I might go crazy like how I felt during my maternity leave. But things are so much better now and I know I’m very lucky to spend so much time with the Toshster. I feel like being at home is easier than working in a lot of ways, but I also think it is a lot more challenging in a couple major ways. It’s easier because I can pretty much do whatever I want and there aren’t too many demands that absolutely have to be met by a tight deadline. But at the same time, it’s not easy raising a child. It’s hard to figure out how to discipline, teach, encourage independence while staying safe and efficient, and figure out why she is screaming. Okay, I’m starting to sound like a broken record. So let’s just watch some videos to sum up how fun it is to be with Toshi.