Thank you for sharing this & bringing this topic more attention. It's difficult to convey how hard it is to make the choices we're forced to make when having children. And it's never cut & dry...
I chose to stay home with my children and drastically slow down my career for several years. And when I talk about that... I don't regret it- my children and my life have been enriched immensely by it. However, there have been very tough sacrifices for me personally & for us financially. Days when I feel the yawn of wasted potential and underutilized intelligence. Hard to admit, but real.
On the other hand I know many women not able to take extended leave for various reasons... feeling utterly heartbroken having to leave their babies to return to work. Or struggling with their own dreams vs paternal obligations. Not to mention the crazy cost of daycare. Neither choice is easy.
In my ideal world, couples would be supported to share parenting equally & reduce work hours for both parents. But we're a long way from that, with men only just starting to take parental leave.
Anyway, great topic, it's nice to see women in tech demystifying this. 😊
I feel you, I really do. That "wasted potential" feeling came to me many times as well, along with missing having a paycheck and feeling "really useful" as part of society. Honestly, sometimes I would just be bored AF, missing the mental space and quiet of working, of keeping an interrupted flow of thoughts, concentrate and create stuff. I'm not complaining and I don't regret the choices I made, thou! It's hard either way.
Thank you for sharing this & bringing this topic more attention. It's difficult to convey how hard it is to make the choices we're forced to make when having children. And it's never cut & dry...
I chose to stay home with my children and drastically slow down my career for several years. And when I talk about that... I don't regret it- my children and my life have been enriched immensely by it. However, there have been very tough sacrifices for me personally & for us financially. Days when I feel the yawn of wasted potential and underutilized intelligence. Hard to admit, but real.
On the other hand I know many women not able to take extended leave for various reasons... feeling utterly heartbroken having to leave their babies to return to work. Or struggling with their own dreams vs paternal obligations. Not to mention the crazy cost of daycare. Neither choice is easy.
In my ideal world, couples would be supported to share parenting equally & reduce work hours for both parents. But we're a long way from that, with men only just starting to take parental leave.
Anyway, great topic, it's nice to see women in tech demystifying this. 😊
I feel you, I really do. That "wasted potential" feeling came to me many times as well, along with missing having a paycheck and feeling "really useful" as part of society. Honestly, sometimes I would just be bored AF, missing the mental space and quiet of working, of keeping an interrupted flow of thoughts, concentrate and create stuff. I'm not complaining and I don't regret the choices I made, thou! It's hard either way.
Totally.
I've managed to make things much less boring by bingeing dev podcasts & screencasts while doing the more mundane chores. :)