Two days a week, I telecommute so that I can spend more time at home with The Dormouse and she doesn't have to be in day care five days a week. After she got too old to take to work with me every day, it was my original compromise to the "Well, I could quit my job and do the right thing by staying home with her full time while the KingofHearts pays the mortgage and maybe even covers some of the food and utilities, but we wouldn't have enough money left over for medical care and other non-essentials like that, so I'm not really sure what the right thing is here" dilemma. So I worked out a deal where I telecommute twice a week and she started going to preschool three times a week once she turned two. For us, that's worked extremely well so far. I'm a good multi-tasker and I get about twice the work done in the same amount of time as I do on a normal day in the office without all the interruptions and the phone ringing. I still have time to do projects and fun things with her while I work and I get to do it all in my jammies.
The programs they have at her preschool are designed to develop pre- and early-reading skills and sometimes I wonder if my keeping her home with me those days is actually more selfish as an attempt to save some money on the weekly tuition than it is a desire to do the right thing and nurturing her as a parent. She gets a lot out of her time in preschool and I'm constantly asking the teachers there if they feel she's falling behind on the curriculum there because she's missing out on the activities and lessons on those two days.
Great Parenting Acumen #421: No matter what you decide to do in any aspect of rearing your child, no matter how long you've thought, researched, pondered and prayed about it, you will always question that decision.
The truth is that despite what many of my peers believe, I've come to understand that the right thing, is different for each and every person, if not each and every child. And the right thing, when a child is an infant is not the same right thing when that kid is two, or three, or four.
At some point, I'm anticipating this arrangement will have to change. This is a child who simply craves social interaction with other kids her age. She's gotten to the point where she's pretty much bored by being home with me (admittedly, it was better before I got big, pregnant and lazy) even when I have energy and time to turn off the television and do projects with her. We are actually starting to think about looking toward the future and preparing her for kindergarten which, depending on which school official I speak to, could happen next year or she may have to wait two years for that privilege... but that's another post.
We'll make those decisions in the coming months. For now, this is what it looks like when I "work at home." I'm going to miss these moments:
By the way, that's a Diet Coke can next to the computer. I think some people would be proud.
The programs they have at her preschool are designed to develop pre- and early-reading skills and sometimes I wonder if my keeping her home with me those days is actually more selfish as an attempt to save some money on the weekly tuition than it is a desire to do the right thing and nurturing her as a parent. She gets a lot out of her time in preschool and I'm constantly asking the teachers there if they feel she's falling behind on the curriculum there because she's missing out on the activities and lessons on those two days.
Great Parenting Acumen #421: No matter what you decide to do in any aspect of rearing your child, no matter how long you've thought, researched, pondered and prayed about it, you will always question that decision.
The truth is that despite what many of my peers believe, I've come to understand that the right thing, is different for each and every person, if not each and every child. And the right thing, when a child is an infant is not the same right thing when that kid is two, or three, or four.
At some point, I'm anticipating this arrangement will have to change. This is a child who simply craves social interaction with other kids her age. She's gotten to the point where she's pretty much bored by being home with me (admittedly, it was better before I got big, pregnant and lazy) even when I have energy and time to turn off the television and do projects with her. We are actually starting to think about looking toward the future and preparing her for kindergarten which, depending on which school official I speak to, could happen next year or she may have to wait two years for that privilege... but that's another post.
We'll make those decisions in the coming months. For now, this is what it looks like when I "work at home." I'm going to miss these moments:
By the way, that's a Diet Coke can next to the computer. I think some people would be proud.
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September 4, 2007 at 9:40 PM
She looks like she's got some excellent computer skills. Forget kindergarten - put her on a bus and ship her over here to work for me.