When our son was born, we also had a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old. Yes, we had three kids under age 4. So I decided to leave my nine-year teaching job at a local university. It was absolutely the right choice for our family, because the cost of childcare was nearly taking my entire paycheck.
I firmly believe that teaching is one of the most difficult jobs
Despite what the public often believes, we don’t actually have “off” holidays, weekends, summers, and evenings. In fact, it was during those times that I worked the most.
Once our son arrived, I knew there was no way that I could get through batches of 60, yes, 60 5- to 10-page essays, multiple times a semester. Grading was time-consuming, detailed work that required my full attention. As you can imagine, I didn’t have any spare quiet hours.
When I wasn’t working at the university, I was working at home: washing bottles, changing diapers, picking up toys, putting my kids down for a nap. Additionally, my job required that I plan lessons, hold office hours, enter grades, and communicate with students via email. Then, of course, I had to actually teach.
I had a hard time securing part-time childcare for three young children
My teaching schedule sometimes worked — compacted into two days a week and back-to-back classes. Other times, my schedule was more erratic, requiring multiple trips to campus.
I loved my job, but I also knew that continuing to teach didn’t make financial sense. I ended up paying a sitter more per hour than usual in order to accommodate my schedule. Plus, each semester, I dealt with the finding-childcare scramble.
I knew that I couldn’t continue to run myself ragged over a meager paycheck — well, what was left of it — each month. My income wasn’t making even a tiny dent in our bills. Teaching wasn’t benefiting me or my family, and I knew that it was time to bid my teaching job farewell.
The first year after leaving my job, I had to mourn my former self
I was assumed to be “professor” or “Dr.” even though I was neither. People were genuinely impressed by my university job and the degrees I earned to get there. The reactions I received as a stay-at-home-mom were much different. I was “just” a mom and not someone with an office and a title at a well-known institution.
Despite the loss of verbal accolades, I enjoyed my stay-at-home mom life. Taking my kids to the library was exciting. On rainy days, they would dump out all the toys and play together. I can’t count the number of diapers I changed or apples I sliced.
I never saw myself as a stay-at-home mom
In fact, I was certain that I would continue to work part-time after spending five and a half years earning three college degrees. I was good at my job, and I adored the energy that the university atmosphere offered. But as we all know, money talks. In my case, it was loud and clear.
I don’t regret quitting my prestigious job due to the cost of childcare. We now have four children, and I am grateful for the years I’ve been able to spend with my kids. I recognize this is a choice and a privilege that I was fortunate enough to have. As far as the future, who knows? I am certain that unless a job offers substantial financial benefits to our family, I won’t be giving up my stay-at-home-mom gig anytime soon.
