This is my first post, so please forgive me if I babble a tad.
My partner and I are separating and we have a 3 and a half year old and an 11 month old, so I need to work out how I'm going to make things work and do what's best for the children.
Prior to having children, I had senior roles, once I had my first child I was able to work part-time but in a less senior role (my first experience of the "glass ceiling" of being a mother - I hadn't experienced this before) I carried this out with success, winning awards for the product I was responsible for relaunching. When I was 8 months pregnant with my second, there were a lot of redundancies and I opted for this as I was living 4 hours away from my work. So here I am now, my daughter is nearly 11 months and whilst I have been doing bits of work for my partners business whilst on "maternity leave" - this is no longer going to work since we are separating and so I am faced with the dilemma . Job to earn, or full-time mum? (or at least I think it's a choice I have the ability/ right to make?)
By default, I have been looking for paid work, but for some reason companies aren't interested in part-time at a senior level (which baffles me as I was cheaper than my counterparts and more productive!) and the thought of spending 5 days a week away from my babies, missing their early development and paying £1,500 in nursery fees for the priviledge makes me feel sick with sadness. I'm applying for income support, rent and council tax support, child tax credits (but they haven't come through yet so I have no idea how much assistance it will be) and without having to pay the nursery fees I may be as well off as working a full-time job. I've paid plenty to the government in my time so far, so don't feel too bad about taking some legitimate benefits.
I am basically after some advice - I don't want to spend the rest of my life (which I will probably spend working) regretting rushing back to work after having had my second and missing out on this fabulous time which will only last for a couple of years and I won't be able to get it back. With some serious spending cut backs, is it likely to be possible that I could survive on benefits as a full-time mum until my daughter gets her government funded education from 3 years of age? Can anyone give me some advice on whether what my heart tells me is the right thing to do, will actually be possible?
Any helpful advice will be very gratefully received :)
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work to earn pennies or be with my babies?
11 replies
SMH77 · 15/05/2013 20:53
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