Going Back to Work

With my youngest starting kindergarten this year, I keep hearing the question, "So what are you going to do now?" I tell them that I'm going to take a nap and an uninterrupted shower. I've had kids home for thirteen years. I'm exhausted! Yet, as the economy continues to slide, I realize that I may need to get back to work sooner than I had expected. But what kind of job can I get? I haven't worked in 10 years. What would I put in the blank spots on my resume? I started talking to other moms who had gone back to work and many of them said the same thing, "Volunteer your way into a job." Being a mom offers so many great ways to volunteer. I have already headed an enrichment program at our school, written grants and organized fundraisers. All these things can not only fill in the blank spaces on my resume, but give me some great references as well. I've worked with principals, teachers, local businesses, other parents etc. If your looking towards a future back in the workplace, look at the volunteer opportunities in your area. Don't think of it as working for free, but as an internship of sorts. A way to give back to your community or school while giving you the experience you'll need for a possible job in the future.

Snooping On Your Kids Cell

So I've recently found myself in the throws of teen parenting. I've gone from being the coolest person in my son's life to "a pain who knows absolutely nothing". What's freaking me out is that I find myself saying all the things my parents said that made me crazy at that age...fighting over homework, what time to be home and how late he can stay up. The problem is, I remember being thirteen. It doesn't feel like it was that long ago that I was trying to live a life that my parents weren't a part of. Looking for independence, wanting my mom there for me when I needed her and then mad at myself for needing her at all. But, as in every generation , it seems to get more complicated. When I was a teenager (another phrase that I thought I would never say) we didn't have cell phones or AIM or texting. Friends had to call the house or come by to talk to me. My parents had some idea of who I was hanging out with and what we were doing. My phones had cords. There was only so far you could go out of earshot. And the phone didn't have volume or vibrate settings. They rang and rang loud. My mother could hear a late night call and pick up the extension to see who I was talking to. Today knowing what's going on in your kids life is hard and all this talk of respecting your kids right to privacy definitely makes it harder. How can you keep track of your kids without snooping? I can occasionally get fragments when he gets in a mood to tell me something, and it amazes me what his friends will say in front of me. I guess if it's not your own mother it's cool to talk. But I have to admit, I do check the cell phone. Sometimes I'll pick it up and scroll the calls right in front of him, but other times I'll sneak. On the rare occasion that he leaves it unattended, my husband and I will pounce on it just to get a little idea of what's going on. I want to know that he's safe and happy and behaving. Some people might think it's wrong, but he's my kid and my responsibility. And after all, as my dad would say, I pay the bill.