I quit!

***I wrote this a few weeks back but didn't post it because I was waiting to put it on a blog I'm going to be writing for a local website, but that is slow in starting up so I'm not waiting any longer.***

That's right, I did it!  I quit my job!  Some would say that's not a smart move in this economy, especially with two kids.  Others would say that it was an excellent choice to stay home with my two young children.  Well, everyone is right.  :-) 

It is a rough time right now, but since my job was questionable anyway (because of the horrible budgetary problems at LAUSD right now) as were my benefits, it's not a horrible time.  And it is great to stay home with my children - anyone who is willing to and can afford it should.  But those two things don't always happen.  Some people, possibly myself included, are meant to work.  They need to interact with adults, they need to be productive in the workforce, they feel a sense of accomplishment from earning a paycheck and contributing to the family financially not to mention contributing to the working world.  Some people are meant to be moms or dads at home, teaching their young children, watching them grow up, shaping their every day lives on a very real and personal level. 

Which am I?  I don't know.  I know I'm enjoying being at home with them, but that it's incredibly difficult.  It's hard to be around kids all day, I have no idea how teachers do it.  It's hard if you're put on an "allowance" because you don't bring in income (this is not the case with me, but it's certainly not unheard of).  It's hard to figure out how to entertain and teach the children all day.  But, to see them learn new things on a daily basis, see them concentrating so hard on new tasks, hear their laughter and know that they are laughing because of something you did - that makes it all worth while.  This is not to say that working parents don't enjoy these same things, but just on a smaller time frame. 

As someone who worked for the first year of her first child's life, I'm here to say, I much prefer not working.  (Not that it isn't work, but you know what I mean.)  I don't have our lives figured out yet, and there are a million piles around our house, the dishes aren't done and the laundry needs to be put away but today I watched Kayla make a friend (social skills), I watched her climb up a rocky surface to get to a slide (determination and balance), I nursed my baby boy all day long (instead of pumping at work all day just to get 1 feeding!), I watched Kayla have the time of her life sliding down a bumpy slide (fun!), I showed her sticks and leaves and grass (curiosity), I rocked my baby to sleep, I carried Kayla around and slid down slides with her (bonding), I watched as Kayla tried to hug Tyler and instead ended up laying on him - and he laughed, I comforted her when she woke up not feeling well from her nap (comfort), I helped my baby sit up, roll over, stand up, and sit down, I read my little girl bedtime books and sang her lullabies before going to bed (literacy), and made Tyler laugh by eating his belly.  Yea, it was all play for them, but what else are they supposed to do this young?  I am just so glad I was able to be a part of it, to watch them grow right before my eyes. 

If we can manage it, I would love to stay home.  If we can't and I go back to work, I'll remember these months we've had together with love and cherish our time together even more!  Until then, I'm going to try to figure this all out.