In December of 2007 I rejoined the work force. I had taken some toys over to the Child Abuse Council's annual toy drive for their holiday store and ran into my former boss (who also happens to be a good friend). She told me about an upcoming program and asked if I were interested. I immediately said "yes" without giving any real thought to it. I had been debating about going back to work -began thinking about it over the summer trying to sort out the logistics of how I could work without having to put the girls in all day daycare and aftercare. It seemed pointless really, because there was just no way I could work outside of the home without sacrificing something in the care of my girls.
The details of the new program were 1) It was a parenting class that would meet once a week for 15 weeks. Each class lasts 2.5 hours, with an hour before and after for prep time, case notes, etc... 2) It was a contract job giving me the flexibility to opt out of the next session if I felt the need. 3) It paid well and would be a total of about 5-6 hours a week at most and the classes would meet in the evenings. Perfect! I got the contact info for the manager of that program and emailed my interests. We set up a meeting and I was "hired" on the spot. I would be a Child Development Specialist working with the children in the nurturing parenting program (along with another Child Dev. Specialist and some volunteers). I would also be assisting in the creation of the curriculum to be used for the group. How exciting to be able to use my degree (BA in Child Development), get out of the somewhat monotonous routine of being a stay-at-home mom, and get paid for it. The program reaches out to anyone who wants to be a better parent and, ultimately, a better family unit. Many of our clients are self-referred, but the majority are court ordered and the children may or may not be in the care of their parents. Some are grandparents going through the process of adopting their grandchildren or even some foster parents going through the process of adopting the foster child(ren).
It's been 13 months and even though it isn't always easy (difficult kids, heartbreaking stories, exhaustion from trying to do too much in general) it is rewarding. Especially at the end of the 15 weeks and we have our "graduation" ceremony and even if just one child from the group will say that he/she is sad because they won't be coming back and this class was something they looked forward to every week. We made a difference.
That's the good stuff.