Quote:
Originally Posted by Jolly Well
Considered a middle ground? - maybe substituting 2-3 days a week?
As for clowning for extra income, unless you're somewhat established then it will not likely be as helpful as you are thinking.
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In the end, do what you feel you need to do - just don't expect clowning gigs to solve your potential financial dilemas...
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I've done some substituting...
Unfortunately, I'd pay $90/ day for daycare for 3 kids- and it was $60 for two... in my area, subbing pays around $75- $90/ day for one-day or short-term gigs, depending on the district (long-term gigs can be $100/ day, I did that for 2 months last spring- but those gigs are fewer between and more likely to go to the teachers willing to be there for the district when needed - as in , if I turn down all the one- day gigs, I'm not going to be at the top of the long-term list)
Actually, one of the reasons I did the 2 month gig last spring was to see if I was intimidated going back to work after a few months off, if it was very exhausting or difficult after so much time away- and I proved to myself that the job was energizing and refreshing and something I really enjoyed getting back to. So it's good to know- I really AM a teacher! It's not just a job I did for a while, it's part of me, that's cool.
Thanks for the two cents on the clown income. I suspected that between the time a person probably needs to build up enough of a reputation to start getting gigs reliably, and the prices you'd need to charge to be fair but still be reasonable enough to get calls- that it might not be really big money, especially at first.
Honestly, if I go the route of the 2nd job, I ought to do it with my husband's blessing and spend nights waiting tables, now that I think about it... It's the biggest money I've ever been able to earn in the shortest amount of time- so it would maximize the money earned for the minimum time spent away.
I got a couple of good thoughts in general from eveyrbody's posts.
First- just dropping a decision (I'm NOT going to work, so there)on my husband - is not the right thing. I think I probably knew that, but with a big involved situation, sometimes just breaking it into little parts and getting a little feedback makes the obvious parts of the decision easier to see for what they are...
Second, I'm not just a spoiled brat for wanting to stay home and enjoy my infant's infancy- or if I am, then I'm not the only one- it seems to be a common consensus that it's worth it to sacrifice a little bit of quality of life for that time with a baby- But then again, it's not worth TOO much sacrifice- a lot of people need 2 incomes to make ends meet- Well, that's a deep question, actually-
I think most folks could lower their standard of living substantially- get a smaller home, have a renter come in, have one spouse work multiple jobs, etc... to avoid putting the kids in daycare- but it's a matter, in my opinion, of how far can you drop your standard of living, without being resentful of each other and of the situation. So to me, it looks like my husband and I have to really discuss ways we can spend as much time with our infant as possible, without resenting each other for the sacrifices it takes to do it... Yikes, that is a deep, complex thing too- put as I obsess a little, and flesh out the issue for myself it feels less scary so that's great!