by Saralyn Colon

Created on: May 06, 2009

As a young girl, there were two things I wanted for my future; to be a mom, and have a great job. I always thought I could have both, never thinking otherwise. Now that I'm older, and a mother, I can see why there's been a debate about this very subject.

When I was 19, I worked full time. I spent time with friends till late, and never worried about a thing. I was careless with my money, and thought I was on top of the world. All that changed when I found out I was pregnant. I needed to sit back and think about being a parent and what that meant to me. The more I focused on being a mom, the less I focused on work and the ever hectic social life I had lead before. It was much more important to me being at home, and being with my son.

Somehow when he was little, I regained that drive I once had in the workplace. Not only did I need money, but I also felt restless at home everyday. I love my son more than anything, and loved spending all of my time with him. But there was a part of me that still wanted that career, making a difference in the world one small step at a time.

I realized that part of being a mom was setting the example for your child or children. Not only were there things I could teach him from home, but I could also teach him about other things by working. As a single mother, I wanted that alone time with my son. It was hard putting him in daycare and going back to work. I learned though that we both needed that time from each other, to truly grow as people. Now, it sounds odd to say my son grew better without me, but he did in many ways. He was so excited to spend time with other children his age. He smiled more, and seemed like a much happier baby playing and getting more social time with the other kids. He started to talk early also. I loved hearing him tell me about his day when I picked him up each day. Work was challenging for me too. Working in a high paced environment allowed me to do more for people than I could ever staying at home.

Coming home at the end of the day was a joy! Not only was I leaving a hard days work, but it was awesome seeing my son again after a long day. I learned that I was teaching him by being away. He knew that I would always be there for him, regardless if I was in the same room. I learned to truly enjoy him, and everything he did and learned to do each day. He learned to socialize with others, as did I. He walked sooner, crawled sooner, and did so much more being around other children doing the same things. I learned

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