Decision to go part time... Looking for your input if you've made the choice already.

stm510

Hi fellow working Moms.... I have a 14 month old son in full time daycare and work 40-50 hours a week with 2 days from home.  I am receiving a promotion this summer which will provide enough salary for me to consider part time, say 80%

 I have struggled with part time vs full time since going back 9 months ago.  I would like to go part time while keeping my son in daycare full time (my DC provider doesn't offer part time). My rational would be to have Fridays off to take are of household chores/food shopping/meal planning/errands etc so weekends aren't so jammed.  Is this a reason anyone else decided on part time for? I feel guilty because my intention will be for it to free up time as a family on the weekends but won't necessarily give me an extra day with my son.  

My husband is super helpful at home and would support this decision as part time is not an option for him... Would be very easy for me to make this arrange at work/get it approved.

My other hesitation is that we would like to try for another child in the next few months, so should I hang on and make this move after baby number 2? 

kmc217

I say if it is feasible for you financially, your DH is agreeable and your work is agreeable, it seems like there is no reason not to. I went PT after DD1 and haven't looked back. My life is so much less stressful/hectic having weekday availibility to get things done, make appointments etc so that weekends are less stressful on all of us. Also... just because you will still send your son to DC doesn't mean you couldn't pull him out for the occasional half day special mommy and me time AND it also gives yourself some you time too. Seems like an all round win-win situation to me. 

MrsSDgirl

I work 80% time, but not really by choice.  I approached by boss about a raise last year, and he said he didn't have the money.  So, instead he said I could have Fridays off, but at the same pay.  I now use Fridays to clean, do laundry, run errands, etc.  All of these things I could NOT do with the kids home.  Therefore, both boys go to preschool/ daycare, but I am busier on Fridays than I am at work during the week!  I honestly don't know when I would get this stuff done if I didn't get Fridays off, so my vote is to absolutely take your Fridays off!  If I get done with my chores early, I absolutely pick the boys up early, and you can certainly do the same.  But, I can get SO much done with no at home.  And, it totally frees up time on the weekend to spend with the kids. 

jf198400

I went PT 4days/week after my 2nd ML and I loved it! My kids were home with me on Fridays, b/c my mom was our DCP. I was still able to get a lot done even with them home, but I certainly think it would be nice to have even a half day to yourself. Then you could pick your son up early and go to the park or something fun. It definitely freed up our weekends a ton! I also think it could be nice while you are pregnant with baby #2 b/c of Dr's appointments. I always had to get my SIL or MIL to babysit DD so I could go to evening DR appointments. Then you would also have more time to rest. The 2nd pregnancy is harder b/c you still have to take care of your toddler when all you want to do is sleep. I had to go back to FT when I switched jobs. I would go PT again in a heartbeat. It is absolutely worth it.

azuremama

I work 32 hours a week and love love love it.  I keep my kids home with me on that day and I wouldn't change that, but a day at home alone sounds awesome.

*sparky*

I work PT and take care of as much as possible during my days off to free up family time on the weekend.  It has really helped with my and my DH's sanity. 

Nechie122

There are plenty of positives to going PT but I'll give you my perspective just to play devil's advocate. I actually returned to work FT when my DD was 10 months old and haven't looked back.

For me, personally, I didn't like "mommy tracking" myself. The extra money and benefits weren't make or break, but at the end of the day, I thought I was missing out on promotions and other opportunities by not working a full week.

Plus, I really hoped I'd have that extra time to take DD to mommy and me classes and the like, but my schedule STILL interfered with that more often than not. Most of my "errands" were just ways to kill time. I find I can accomplish most things I need to do within the work week.

Anyway, just my experience!

RoxyLynn

Promotions often come with additional responsibilities.  Are you certain that PT work is a possibility with the promotion?

AmberDerek

azuremama:

I work 32 hours a week and love love love it.  I keep my kids home with me on that day and I wouldn't change that, but a day at home alone sounds awesome.

This exactly. 

stm510

Yes; I have already discussed the potential option with the appropriate people at my firm. 

Thank you to everyone for all of the valuable feedback.  Appreciate hearing from each of you.  

linjmurx

I have Fridays off and pay for full time care (4 days a week daycare isn't an option). I use the Friday for a variety of things, depending. But even if your kids always go to daycare that day and you do some errands, cleaning, etc, then you'll be creating more quality time with them by freeing up your weekend time. Working Mon-Thurs (and I work a pretty strict 32 hours a week, generally don't do overtime) takes me off the career track and I am okay with that. Of course that may not be the case for you depending on your workplace and position and attitude. However at the same time it lets me be a more consistent worker. I book all my doctor appointments and my kids' doctor appointments on Fridays so I never have to miss work for those and I get to be there which is important to me. If I am off sick on a Mon-Thurs or (more likely) I want to stay home with one of my kids who is sick, then I have the option of making up some time and work on the Fri. 

court115

When I came back to work after having my son, I came back at 32 hours with Fridays off. It is seriously the best decision that I have ever made. I love love love my Fridays. I use it to get things done, to schedule doctor's appointments, just hang out with my kid, etc. etc.

If you can handle it financially and your H is on board with it, I wouldn't think twice about doing it.

KL777

I would go for it.  During the academic year, I would take every other (insert weekday here) off and I had DS with me, but I still did my errands and other things that needed to be done while also doing something fun with him.

During the summer I work part-time hours weekly.  For me, it's great for home/work life balance.

AppleJacks81

I would totally do it! Getting all the chores done to free up your weekend? Perfect!

hd626

Last October I had the opportunity to join a new company at 70% time (28 hrs/week). It was a raise from my previous position so the financial impact was minimal. My 2nd has just turned 1, and my oldest is 4. Honestly I was more concerned about being more accessible once my kids got out of the baby stage and were into activities and school. I struggled with the decision but in hindsight, I have no idea why. It was the best decision I ever made. I have a great work-life balance. My stress level is down so much. I went from a management to a non-management position but I am still right there in the game, so when the time comes, I don't feel like I will be at a disadvantage to get back on track (I am in HR). My husband also started traveling like crazy so something had to give. Good luck.

groovygrl

I think it sounds great if you will actually be doing 80% of the work you would be doing full time...I considered asking for four days bc the job I thought was going to have more flexibility is not what I expected and I am struggling to get things done during the week that I used to with my previous more flexible job...but then I realized that in my particular job, I would just be getting paid less with less benefits and responsible for exactly the same bc there is not anyone else who could pick up anything extra,, so I am just going to talk to my boss in more depth about flexing my schedule and do some half days and things like that. So I guess my my caution would be if they say sure you can do four days and get paid less but the expectations would not truly change.

rockychryslerb2010

I know everyone's employer and experience is difference, but in my experience, part time takes you off the fast-track and really limits your options for growth and new projects.  Not sure if the culture is the same at your organization, but something to consider.

I read through the responses and don't think I saw this, but I think if I got a large enough raise and going part time was an option, I would think about using the raise money to maybe hire a housekeeper and even look into a personal chef who comes and does a week's worth of meals in one day.  Just another use of the extra $$, and it keeps you full time, which is important if your company culture associates part time as a negative.

I work 50+ hrs a week and am doing my MBA full time, and the only reason I stay sane is because our nanny is amazing.  She does all the light cleaning, laundry and chores during the week, so H and I only have to do quick errands or maybe one morning of really heavy cleaning every couple of weeks.  I received a raise and promotion right before E was born, so the extra raise went to having a nanny vs. daycare.