I've got Mommy Guilt....

Mommy Guilt. I am suffering from a bit of it today. I’ve always held a job outside the home. As a consultant I had flexibility that I was comfortable with this. When I hear my kids repeat things, I am comfortable that I Have found the right child care situations and spent enough time with them that they have the values I want them to have. It has worked for me and I don’t usually feel guilty. Except when I had to travel, but Dad was home for them.

So I have been in my current job for 6 weeks now. I am driving from my mid-sized Midwest city to a small large-sized city 50 miles away. We have been talking about moving a little bit closer to my job. But the rest of the family has a vested interest in staying where we are. Hubby works about Pause – I just mapped it with Mapquest, 4.78 miles from our home. (My drive is 49.26 miles) The boys, especially the 11 YO, are not thrilled with the idea of changing schools. They are all for moving to a bigger house. That was in the drawing board before I changed jobs. And since they attend a Parochial school, there are several school districts that run busses to their school. There is such a school district that might shave up to 12 miles off of my commute.

We have been research other schools. More so the high school, but we have looked at a couple of the grade schools too. I have no qualms about sending my kids there in terms of scholastics. The community we have set our sights on would be about 30 miles for me but would add about 20 miles for Hubby.

So why not let me bear the brunt of the drive? There are several reasons. This biggest is that Hubby is not sure how long he wants to stay at his current employer. (But that’s been waffling since they have been bending over backwards to ensure that he’s happy). He’s have an easier time finding a job in the large city than in the mid-sized one. I’d hate for both of us to be working and the kids going to school 50 miles away. I really don’t want to move again. But darn it, I am the MOM! I also have historically brought home the larger paycheck. And I miss cooking dinner for my family. The Crock-pot meal are not going over well.

So what’s mom to do?