city lawyers - am I mad or not (to consider a part time PSL role)

[ponderingtheoptions]

(name change for this one although those who have met me in RL and discussed will doubtless recognise me - no outing!)

story so far:

*did law degree because really liked law, not because of burning desire to please anyone / achieve anything by becoming a lawyer. No partnership ambitions (hate management side of stuff / internal politics etc etc.). but generally thought of by others as good at job.
*qualified about 15 years ago so really old

• had DC (singular) nearly four years ago (maternity leave from MC firm)
• went back to full time fee earning between 6-12 months after birth
• about a year later moved in house (DH in full on long hours job with lots of travel. FT live out nanny but still difficult to juggle / didn't want to drop below minimum hours at home - now have reasonable hours but getting a bit bored / miss discussing law with people (but still like drafting / dealing)
• DC going to school in September *current nanny has to finish in August (visa issue)

Do I:

(a) stay in full time job and get new nanny (would have to be full time, prob live in - can't face juggling a "patchwork" of childcare)

(b) take reduced hours job (in house or PSL role), get au pair to do pick up, try and work out what to do with holidays

(c) take reduced hours job (say 10-4) with school holidays off (PSL role if I can get it).

Am thinking about option (c) - haven't got job in the bag but have been talking to a few firms who are fairly interested, so it's a real possibility.

Would that be mad? How awful would option (b) be?

help!

Xenia - you're right - I think they do. I certainly have never considered myself in the "want to stay home with children rather than have a career" category, and I know (and DH knows, and frankly all our friends and colleagues know) that I'm more than capable of staying at work and having a career right now. This is not a cop out - it's just a solution that seems right for the time being. If I want to go back into full time fee earning in a few years, I will - not at partner level, more at counsel level (fine with me, since I'm a geek without an entrepreneurial bone in my body) - but I have a choice. To be honest, as a working class girl whose classmates are or are nearly grandmothers with no careers right how, I think I'm doing pretty well in maintaining a choice! And at the end of the day, I think that having a GENUINE choice is what we should all be aiming for.

(feel free to have the last laugh if I'm bouncing off the walls come summer next year)

ps - slinkimalinkie - I do have a job to go to! Far too conservative to resign without a plan!

Tinton, sorry only just managed to log back on.
Anyway I negoiated 3 days on the basis that they are spread accross the week. I work Mon, Wed, Thurs - so I am out only 1 day at a time which is much more managable in terms of cover. I could be on a course/in a meeting/ill/at an event etc. Also Fridays are the easiest day to have off as lots of people seem to be out on Fridays for various reasons. It works for me too as am only away from the children for 2 consectative days rather than 3.
Being in and out can be disruptive though and I do get disturbed on Tuesdays sometimes.

Ds1 went to nursery when I returned to work the first time. This time with 2 DS we've got a nanny - much less stressful as I don't have to rush to nursery for 6, just home by 7. And we don't have the getting out of the house panic in the mornings.

Good luck with your meeting!