Momma's going back to work

After I lost my job in February, I wasn't sure I would go back to work before Mason started school. I was thrilled with the fact we could afford for me to be home with the kids because I could enjoy more of their childhood and not have to depend on anyone else to care for them. Sure, it meant finances had to tighten up and sacrifices had to be made, but we were doing what we thought was best for our children and that made everything ok.

But as much as I enjoyed that time with my children and will forever be grateful for it, part of me always missed working. I missed the adult interaction. I missed using the skills that I spent so many years in school to learn. And I missed contributing to our family's finances. So after almost 2 months of being full-time stay at home mom, I started searching for a new job.

I knew for the sake of our children, if I returned to work, it had to be part-time and probably not in a traditional 8-5 setting. I didn't want to go back to seeing the kids 1-2 hours per day every day and giving the majority of my pay check back to child care in the process. However, part-time work is hard to find in the mental health field because with a few exceptions, it is an office-based, 8-5 field. I did find a few opportunities and had a few job offers, but none of them seemed to work with our family's needs.

I got really frustrated that at one interview I got called out on the fact I hadn't worked in 6 months and hadn't seen any clients in 5 years. That really hurt me because that meant they were questioning my skills and ability to do the job. I had only been out of work 6 months at that point so that stung. No matter that my prior job required the use of my clinical skills, just a different setting than traditional client work.  If employers were worried about my skill loss after 6 months, what would happen if I waited even longer before going back to work. It was a very low feeling for me and I questioned whether I would ever be able to get another job.

Finally in September, I interviewed for a job that seemed to be a perfect fit for us and I was so excited. Until I didn't get the job. And I was devastated. I don't deal with rejection well and was so disappointed. I had never struggled so hard to find the right job and then face rejection.

A few weeks later, my friend and former co-worker posted on Facebook that one of the local hospitals was looking for therapists to work PRN (as needed) in the ER doing assessments. That seemed to be perfect for us because I could work a wide range of hours and see and learn so much in an ER. But, I was so discouraged after my last interview that I took a few days to find the courage to let her know I was interested. She passed on my resume to her supervisor and I was shocked when my phone rang the very next day with the offer for an interview. The interview went well and the job seemed perfect, but I tried to keep my expectations low in case I was rejected again. I called to follow up the next week and 2 days later the supervisor called to let me know that she wanted to hire me for one of the positions. I started jumping around in my yard like a crazy lady when we got off the phone. I was excited that something was finally working out and I could go back to work on my terms and still meet my family's needs. I had to wait another week for the official offer to come in from HR, but I accepted it immediately and began the preparations to start this new chapter in my life.

I guess I have had another lesson in everything happens for a reason and good things come to those who wait. Its definitely a bittersweet moment, though. I am going to miss the lack of schedule and open freedom of being at home, and most importantly miss my children. But, I feel like its the right thing to do and will benefit all of us in a great way. Keeping my fingers crossed for positive things!