Short of being a supreme boss mom like Marissa Meyer or Beyoncé (who, I'm assuming, can bring Blue Ivy with her wherever she goes while rehearsing or recording or turning everything she touches to glitter), I feel that most moms are mainly left to choose between two options: working and being away from our kids, or not working and being with our kids more. (Yes, technically, fathers ultimately have that choice to make, but their "choice" is historically presumed, thereby relieving them of the perceived pressure to choose just one. Lucky jerks.) I know that's a simplified way of putting it, but isn't that what reality looks like for all of us? Personally, I have found that neither option was perfect, but thankfully — seriously, I'm thankful everyday that my circumstances allowed this to be a choice for my family — my partner and I came to a conclusion that suits for our family: me working from home part-time. At least, that's the arrangement for now. Like most things in a family, who works, and how much, are things that change and evolve as the needs of the people in the family change and evolve.
How did we get there? Lots of questioning: What's best for my son? What's best for me? What's best for my partner? What's best for my career? What allows me to have the most access to a reliable coffee maker? You know, those questions most parents ask themselves on a regular basis, often while we're velcro-ing our kiddos' shoes and zipping their coats. I explored the idea of working full-time at the same job I had before my son arrived, and I also explored the idea of having no job at all, and ultimately this has been the best scenario us. And that said, while it's been a while since I was working out of the house full-time, I've realized that the most dearly valued parts of being a working mom are the same no matter where you work, nor when. And once you've experienced them, you absolutely will never take them for granted again: