Home, For Good, For Now

On Monday, I packed up my office desk for the second time in two months.

The first time was a month ago when my office shifted out of from its prime almost-on-Orchard-Road space to its new location in Pasir Panjang. Needless to say, the change in location was quite a shock to the system.

This second time round is for good. After much deliberation, and with the blessings of my husband, I have decided to call it a day on my time at my current office. It's been nearly 5 years. I will be staying at home with my babies for a bit before returning to the workforce.

There are many small (ok, maybe not-so-small) push factors and the rather large pull factor of the home that have resulted in this decision. My home needs me at the moment.

I also make this decision with the peace of mind that this is really God's hand at work, because I of the full support of my family I've received. Whenever I'd previously contemplated stopping work, my Mum would be vehemently against the idea. The usual "you can't just rely on your husband" and "it is important to have your own money" and "it would be a waste" lectures would be trotted out. I actually don't agree with that thinking, but for the sake of peace, plus the fact that I was ok with my job and the part-time arrangement was working rather well, I never pushed it.

The past couple of months since I returned to the office have, however, been challenging on my alternate care-givers. And everything came to a head in August when we realised that:

• My helper would have to return home in Oct
• I would have to get a new helper with uncertain prospects of whether there were any suitable ones available and when she would be able to arrive
• My Mum's helper would be going back on home leave at around the same time
• DD was scheduled for 3 weeks of reservist overseas from mid-Oct

This after my Dad had gone back to work, and I had gone back to work. My Mum was feeling the strain, especially with 2 kids now under her watch.

So when I suggested that I stop work, at least for a bit, I wasn't met with the usual talking-tos. Oh no. Instead, my Mum heaved a sigh of relief and told me she thought it was a good thing! Wow. Praise God indeed.

Things have worked out quite well for me in the end -- nightmare Oct did not materialise. My new helper was able to come in early, and DD managed to get his reservist deferred. There's still plenty to do at home though.

I am exploring some options, but in the meantime, I fully intend to enjoy my time with my two babies. Especially with the school holidays coming up! I hope I will be able to take a leaf out of my friend's book and be a "never-stay-at-home-Mum" at least some of the time!