evilbrent

My superhero wife is just about finished her degree - one presentation left to go.

She started at the same time as me, but had to take time off when we had our first, then she went back part time. Amazingly, she managed to keep up her studies even when we had another kid and then moved an hour further away from her uni.

All in all this has added about 4 years to the length of her degree - can you tell that we're not good at family planning? - but I'm glad that we went to the trouble and expense. For the last year, as much as we didn't want to, we've been sending them to a home-based child-minder for one or 2 days a week. When we do that, I've tried to leave for work early so I can pick them up early.

My sister, quite innocently, asked her a few days ago what she was going to do with herself after finishing uni... would she take up night classes in singing, or join a club or something... with all of her sudden 'free time'. I think that my sister's comment, again, very innocently, highlighted that people don't see being a full-time parent as being a big enough role. People don't see that a person can be completely occupied, even interested, by the simple task of keeping a few rugrats alive, cleaned and fed all day every day. I don't think they're being mean, or even disrespectful, it's just that the role has lost some of its officialness.

Next year, now that she's finished her teaching degree, she's probably going to try to pick up one day as an emergency teacher at the local primary school (largest in our state - they're ALWAYS after licensed seat warmers) and we're going to enlist the grandparents to take a day baby sitting in a roster - one week per person, not per couple. Ie, one week it's my mum's job, the next week it's my dad's, then Beth's mum, then Beth's dad. That's only 1 day a month. That's not too much to ask is it?

Aside from the cost issue, which would almost invalidate the whole point of working in the first place, we're going to try to not send them to any version of chlid care. We're glad that they can be looked after by people who know and love them and who can focus on their needs.