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Original poster

Advice regarding part time working

15 replies

michylou · 20/02/2007 21:27

I'm due to go back to work part time (3 days a week) at the beginning of April when my son will be almost 8 months old. I was really really loking forward to it- my son never slept during the day and had very bad colic so in turn cried for most part of the day (and quiet alot during the night). I know this may sound selfish but I felt I needed to work to get back some time to myself and feel in touch with the outside world (sorry if this sounds so selfish)But now he has turned a corner and is such a pleasure i don't want to leave him!! Is part time working the best of both worlds?

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cece · 20/02/2007 21:37

I think so.

Cloudhopper · 20/02/2007 21:37

I would say so, yes. I think the best option at that age is if you can afford a childminder, but if not a nursery is all i could ever arrange.

I loved being part time, and found it really nice to spend the two days off with dd. I really treasured the time, and I enjoyed working too.

So if you are like me, then yes. But everyone is different

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michylou · 20/02/2007 21:48

thanks for the advice just feel a little bit selfish for wanting to work but think i'll be happier, like you cloudhopper really appriciate the time I do spend with him.

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Kbear · 20/02/2007 21:52

It is the best of both worlds definitely. I was devastated to leave mine but after the first week or so, you find your feet, you drink hot coffee, you don't have to share your food with anyone, you get to read a book on the train if you commute, you scoop him up when you get back ready to be a great mum having missed him all day but you'll hold it together and do a good job at work too.

It's all good - been part-time for 8 years now.

CountTo10 · 20/02/2007 21:54

I love it - I always needed to go back to work and although it can be a juggling act sometimes but i get to be a mummy and then switch off sometimes and just be a grown up and me for a little while which I find refreshes me!!!

Cloudhopper · 20/02/2007 21:54

There are some great moments working part time. Like eating a sandwich uninterrupted, or drinking a cup of hot coffee. I felt like I had got my brain back after a while. And i lost that feeling of existential boredom I felt while at home all the time.

But the best bit was feeling that 'weekend' feeling again. As I remember it was almost worth working just for that.

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michylou · 20/02/2007 21:57

oh! You've put a smile on my face I forgot what it was like to eat or drink somthing without a little hand trying to grab it!!

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BikeBug · 21/02/2007 12:55

I love it- I also work 3 days, and it is a good balance for me. DS is hard, hard work and 'work' is a break and a chance to do something different as well as to drink hot tea again. I couldn't have left him at 6 months, but by 10 months I was ready to add work to my life again - things change very fast. DS gets loads of fun and stimulation at his nursery and loves it. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

DizzyBint · 21/02/2007 13:00

yes i would say so. i've been back a month now and am really happy. i'm doing 4 late afternoon/evenings. so dd goes to nursery 2 afternoons, the rest of the time dh takes over. i'm enjoying that in the day i can still see my mum friends, go to baby group, soft play and swimming etc, but i still get to go to work and have my own life as it were. then when dd is all grown up, i'm still into my career, can increase my hours, go back into days, whatever. it's worked out great for us.

PetitFilou1 · 21/02/2007 13:08

I would say yes. I have 3 year old ds and dd almost 18 months. I went back to work when ds was 5 1/2 months the first time and after a year with dd - I work(ed) 3 days week. I love being able to go out at lunch and choose where I get my lunch from, use my brain differently, talk to adults about things other than children, get thanks for doing things etc. I choose to spend two days a week with the children having been 'refreshed' by the days that I'm at work. You are not selfish. Personally I'd be miserable if I was at home all the time and what is better a happy mother or an unhappy one?

prawnsmum · 22/02/2007 21:16

Thanks for all the advice been thinking about it loads over the past few days and have decided i do want to go back . Your right petiteflou I think i to would feel refreshed having time apart from him and really enjoy and appreciate the time we will spend together

bandstand · 22/02/2007 21:30

i went back when mine was 9 months, it was a wrench, and you feel you have to cut yourself into two, if you enjoy your work. You will appreciate lo more though i reckon and appreciate your work too. best of both worlds i reckon

rarrie · 22/02/2007 22:44

I love working three days. I think it is a fab compromise - I still get 4 days at home with my DD - two with daddy too and two with just me. I make sure we do exciting stuff and go out lots on my days off, we meet up with friends, have playdates etc etc. I also love going out to work and getting some time apart. I think it helps me to appreciate my daughter more and I think I put in more effort to really enjoy the time we have together.

Taichimum · 23/02/2007 10:26

I have been working two days a week for a about a year and would say that it is the best option all round. However the key thing is being happy with your childcare. My ds first went to a nursery and I was very uneasy with the whole thing. This made the part time working experience very unpleasant and I used to dread it and be wracked with guilt. DS cried every morning he went there. I was making up excuses not to go to work, so I did not have to take him.
However I then swapped to a childminder and everything is now different. I take him there quite happily, go to work and don't even think about him all day, because I know he is having a great time. He jumps out of the buggy and runs into her house without even saying goodbye to me!
Im not saying childminders are better than nurserys. It is just that the key to successful working mumland is finding the right childcare for you and your child. Be prepared to change it as you go along if it is not working and don't worry about the upheaval if you need to change. It is better to change to something else if it is making you and your child unhappy.
With childcare sorted, it is great working part-time. You have renewed joy in your child being away from them for a bit.
Good luck

prawnsmum · 23/02/2007 11:46

Thanks taichimum
My mother has now offerd to look after him for me and I think i'm gonna take her up on it.She works part time herself and has found out she can fit her hours around me so im very very lucky. I know I can go to work and not have to worry about him.

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