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need advice: thinking of quitting my job
One of the things that DH and I agreed upon, even before we got married, was that we wanted one of us to be a stay-at-home-parent when we had kids, and that person would be the one earning the least (That's me, I earn pocket change!)
So I think I've made a good faith effort at this working from home-thing, but it's just not doing it for me: 1) If you weigh the cost of child care v. how much I earn, we'd be in the negative, and we could -with more responsible budgeting- live on DH's income alone. 2) I've found that I sort of don't care about work --I don't care about the people I write about, the topics, etc.. and that was one of the contingencies that I set for myself when I went back to work: that if I felt that I couldn't give it my best effort I wouldn't the paper suffer for it. 3) I think it could help with my PPD if I eliminated one of the bigger sources of stress in my life.
So, I think it may be time to quit. But then, I worry if I just put in two weeks' notice, my editors will be scrambling to find somebody good enough to take my place (not to toot my own horn, but this is the first job I've had where -although I'm replaceable- I'm actually, at present, valuable); plus we have to finish a few projects around the house and my paychecks could really help with that, so maybe I could wait a few more weeks, months... Then I worry that i'm just being selfish, that I should just plug along and make it work b/c we can start saving my income for Blair...
ugh! This is where I could use a little impartial advice! Can I do this? Can I just quit and be the mom-only that I'd already planned on being?
Re: need advice: thinking of quitting my job
First of all, hugs to you.
Second, I remember you said that you've already started on a medication for your PPD. Have you started counseling yet? How long have you been back at work? I wish I could tell you one way or another what is best for you. This might be something you might want to discuss with your counselor before taking the plunge into full-time SAH. How does your DH feel about it?
Perhaps give the meds and therapy to work before making drastic decisions.
Trying to work with an infant in the home is un-workable for most people.
i agree with the pp's. give yourself a little more time before making an decisions. you just started meds. have you started counseling? talk about this issue and your concerns at a session.
while i remember want to have changes and results instantly, i had to remind myself that i needed (and still do) to take BABY STEPS. be assured that things will work out...you're already well on your way. be patient with yourself. big hugs!
I agree with the others.
Not to make light of your situation but I won't even cut my hair without thinking over it. I get in these funks where I want drastic change and then I always regret them. I know, not even remotely equivalent to what's going on in your life but it makes sense to really really consider all sides on this. After all, maybe once you feel better with your PPD, you'll find that you really aren't un-happy with your job and you just needed some "time".
Lotsa luck!
ohh, I feel your pain. I am thinking whether or not I should quit too.
I don't have any advice but just wanted to wish you the best of luck!
well the thing is, I'm not unhappy with my job --I actually quite like it! but I don't feel like I'm able to give it, and the baby, the kind of attention they both need. One or the other is going to suffer in the long run, and obviously I can't half-ass raise the baby, nor can I with any integrity just turn in half-assed effort stories just to keep working.
It's not the PPD talking when I think about quitting -b/c it had been the plan all along to be a SAHM, my employers have tried to make it easy for me to continue. That's a kindness I couldn't turn down, but now that I've been at it for a few months, it's difficult to find that balance to do a great job at being a mom and a reporter. Of course, I did plan to talk to my counselor about it. It's scary to consider, though!