Hey Fathers,
Just thought I'd say hello having just taken a bit of a leap of faith toward a new life as a part time Dad.... and having also just joined this forum.
I live in Bristol UK, with my gorgeous twin boys (10). One has Autism and the other ADHD.
Last week I quit what I thought was my dream job...for the following reasons:
- I'm tired of stressing and straining with full time work. 37 hours becomes 45 hours...45 hours becomes 50 or 55 hours. I've arrived at the conclusion that I cannot be the Dad I want to be AND work full time. After 18 months of COVID and home working/lockdown/homeschooling I'm completely jaded by zoom calls and being chained to a laptop. I am done with this pattern of working!
- With an autistic son who has regular meltdowns, I've decided that I can't juggle comforting and supporting him and being on a work-related zoom call at the same time, it's just not possible!! The result is a stressed out version of me that's not enjoying life to it's full potential.
- I find professional life difficult - I've been pushing for years to earn more (and have succeeded) but have realised that chasing cash isn't the answer. I'd rather focus on what matters.
I'd be keen to hear from other Dads who can relate to this, and also those who have taken then leap into part time work. I asked my last employer to consider a 30 hour working pattern and they were unable to offer this, so I quit the role. I have two interviews in the next week for part time work. Financially this will be tricky, but I know in my gut that it's the right decision. I'm excited about the future....and to be part of this forum.
Best wishes to you wherever you are in the world!
Cheers!
J
Welcome to the forum! 😀
hi there and welcome to the forum. I can relate to your situation work wise. after my split with ex, in order to spend more time with kids I have to commit to doing school runs. so full-time employers had issue with this and it became unworkable. I also got tired of the 9-5 office work. so I dumped it and went self-employed/freelance. now enjoy the flexibility and having more free time. how often do you see your kids?
@bill337 hey Bill thanks for sharing.
Great to hear that I'm not alone on these thoughts.
Your move to change your work to spend more time with your kids is a credit to you: nice work!
I see my kids every day as we all live together. It definitely takes 2 of us to support them both with their additional needs, so I'm looking forward to landing a role with an employer who is willing to work around this and respect these boundaries.