by Kelli Christopher

Created on: March 22, 2007   Last Updated: April 23, 2007

I have two daughters, a 6 year old and a 1 year old. I worked full time from the time my first daughter was 6 weeks old. I left the house every morning at 7am and got home at 6pm. By the time we had dinner and got ready for bed, it was 9pm and it was time for her to go to bed. The weekend were filled with errands I couldn't run during the week, laundry & house cleaning. I felt as if I never got the chance to spend quality time with my family.

During this time, my husband was going to school full time to become a technology education teacher. He also coached high school football and was not home much of the time. I had no choice but to work full time so that he could finish school.

Once he finished school and got a full time teaching job, I thought long and hard about quitting my job. I took two months off of work before the baby was born for medical reasons - and suddenly I realize something scary. That was the first time that I really felt as if I knew who my 5 year old was. That was the most time I had ever gotten to spend with her. She was this funny, creative, smart child. I never really had gotten the chance to see that, as the only time I really got to see her was in the evening when she was exhausted from her day.

I took 3 months maternity leave after the baby was born. At the end of the maternity leave, the baby developed some medical problems. She was in and out of the hospital for 2 months. During that time, I would have to take more time off of work and would feel guilty. It was crazy that I would feel guilty for spending time with my sick child.

My husband had just gotten a full time job. We discussed it and decided that I wasn't able to be the mother I wanted to be while I was working. We knew that money would be tight, however, I cashed out on my retirement, paid all of our bills and put money in the bank for a down payment on a house. I signed up at local schools to be a substitute teacher. I figured that I could still work some, but that my hours would coincide with my daughter's school hours and if my youngest needed me, I could easily say no to a day of subbing.

It is sad, in today's society, that women are forced to work. The economy is such that it is almost impossible for one parent to stay home to care for their families. Look at so many of today's kids - they are crying out for attention by doing things they shouldn't. We have decided to do without some things in order for me to work less. However, we just purchased our first home, and I may have to go back to working full time to make ends meet. We bought a home in our budget, however, as I said before, it is going to be hard to meet our monthly bills every month unless I work almost every day.

I DO believe that women should have the choice. There are many women who love working and they should be able to do that with the same pay as men. But, if a woman wants to stay home and raise her family, it would be nice if she could do that as well. Unfortunately, that is not usually the case.

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