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Looking Back on My Daughter's First Year
by Scott W.
Danger, CPA
My daughter Sydney’s first birthday is next Wednesday,
October 18th. In many ways, the past year has flown by. In other ways, it
seems like she has been part of our life forever.
Having children in daycare while both spouses work is a
personal decision. There are many benefits to having both spouses
employed. For us, however, we felt that Kim should be home with Sydney.
Many people talk about the sacrifices that need to be made to have one
spouse at home. We never looked at them as sacrifices but rather saw them
as choices. Choices that allowed Kim to be home with Sydney the first year
of her life. I want to share with you some of the things we have done that
made this possible.
Kim enjoyed her work before Sydney was born. One thing
she felt would be difficult about staying home would be leaving her job
and her friends. We also knew that we would need some additional income
other than mine to make ends meet. Before going on maternity leave, Kim
and a co-worker presented a proposal to her employer offering to combine
their two positions into one job-share position. Her employer agreed to
their proposal, and Kim now works a couple of evenings a week while I’m
home with Sydney. She also works from home during the day while Sydney
naps relying on e-mail and conference calls. This arrangement gives us the
additional income we need, and it gives Kim a chance to get away from the
house and have some adult contact. Plus, it also gives Sydney and I some
quality father-daughter time.
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