The landscape looks different from here.

I have to work through this, and what better place to do it than on my blog. Things look different now that I have the little one, and trying to figure it all out is rather confusing to me.

My old job does not want me to work part days, which means that I would have to work 8-hour days at minimum. I need to decide whether I want to go back to work at my old job part time and work whole days. It would still be flex, and it would only be a couple days a week. There would be no call, and the days I work would be set. It seems like it could work for me right now.

But then there is the child care dilemma. My mother has made it clear to me that she does not want to look after him for whole days if I go back to my old job. Really, she made it clear that she wants nothing to do with child care arrangements which do not involve her. She has tried to let go of her expectations, but it is hard for her. If I went back to work at my old job for 8-hour days, I would need to find a child care provider. On the bright side, that would allow my parents to take him on the weekends and for a few hours during the week. We would have someone who could give us a date night on a regular basis, and I would have someone to watch him while I ran errands.

I do have some reservations about going back to my old job. While I love the people I work with and love the work, management stinks and consistently runs their employees into the ground. They have shown us over and over that employees are not high on their priority list. I would get away from some of that by working flex, as I would not take call, and I am better able to set my hours. I also do not have to work this job forever. I could work my old job until I land an adjunct teaching position at a community college.

Here is the list of pros and cons that I can come up with.
Pros for working the old job: only 2-3 days a week, no call, no weekends. My days would be set. I would get to see my co-workers again. The work is rewarding for me, and gives me purpose. I would have income again! Having the extra income would make things a lot easier. My parents would be available on the weekends and odd days for child care.

Cons for working the old job: Management sucks, I would have to find a childcare provider. I would have to leave the baby a few days a week.

Overall, I know I am lucky in that I have had several months to spend with AC. And I am lucky to be able to work part time. Not everyone has that luxury. And here in the US, working part time is a luxury. Part time work does not offer benefits, and you are often paid less than full time workers. Part time does give me more time with the little dude.

I think I have some things to think about.