That's been the question we have been asking for weeks. It's a question finances, priorities, and logistics. Full time, part time, or no work at all? What do we do with Landon? Can we afford daycare? How many days? What is the point of Kristen going back to work?
I have always railed against a society which lives in debt, has an insatiable appetite for materialism, and has forgotten what is important. I think our economy reflects a society which bought more than it could afford and thinks the American dream will make people happy. In reality, the American dream is just a prison but most people don't know they are trapped because everything around them is decorated so nicely. Most of people in this country have debt and many don't know how to live on a budget. Yet we are shocked and surprised when legislators, who can't manage their own finances, can't balance a budget and can't keep the country from going into debt.
Most of that should be the subject of another post altogether. However, it is my thoughts on these things that have been weighing on my mind as we have been thinking about this decision. When both of us were working and had more than enough, it's easy to believe what I did. Now the idea of only one of us working challenges everything I have believed.
So more money would be nice, especially with a new kid. However, I HATED the thought of a daycare raising my child and seeing him more than his parents did. I know everyone doesn't feel that way and that is fine. To each his own. I don't think Landon is ready for daycare. Nor do I think we are. He isn't on a set schedule yet, still has trouble with a bottle, daycare is really expensive, and finances still need to be worked out for all of this.
So the decision has been made. Kristen has quit her job. She still has to work her last 2 weeks and we are frantically trying to figure out what to do with him for those two weeks. We can't put him in daycare because we are locked in for the whole year. So now we need to scramble to find someone to take care of him. But for the rest of this year at least, Kristen is not going to be working. At the start of next year, she will look for something part time just a couple of days a week if things work out. For now, we will work out the finances and deal with things being a little tighter now.
It's the right decision for us. It's the right decision for Landon. And I even look forward to things being a little tighter and actually living out what I believe.
