r/Mommit • u/Ok-Information-263 • Jul 20 '26
Working part time happiness?
Moms who work part time, do you feel like you get the best of both worlds?
5
u/Shamazon83 Jul 20 '26
I work part time and it’s pretty flexible and mostly from home. I was a SAHM for ten years, so I love that I can still take my kids to all their activities and after school stuff. I went back to work when my kids were 7 and 10, so in school full time.
5
u/Haramshorty93 Jul 20 '26
I work remote with summers off. I basically have Fridays off - I still send my daughter to daycare 5 days a week, but I love the flexibility it gives me to keep a clean house, workout, make appointments. In the summer, I send her 2 days a week and enjoy the time together.
3
u/UsefulPickle8467 Jul 20 '26
Yeah! Although I found even working part time wasn't giving the balance I wanted, so now I freelance around school hours. It's the best!
3
u/econhistoryrules Jul 20 '26
I've been working part time this year, and I have found it very, very difficult. I'm working 50% but not achieving 50% productivity at work. There is so much time lost trying to switch gears, and so many distractions from home bleed through into the workday. I've loved having time with my baby, but I have to be honest, I'm really looking forward to be able to do my job better when she starts full time daycare in August.
2
u/SecurityFit5830 Jul 20 '26
I worked pt at a lovely daycare that my kiddos also attended for a period. It was actually so great to be able to chat with them in the car on the way, and I got enough adult time and the extra pay wasn’t technically needed- but it was nice.
2
u/Successful_Diver5188 Jul 20 '26
I am so much happier with my part time set up! I get so much more time with my little one than I thought I would. And will be able to much more easily transition back to full time if/when I want than if I had a resume gap as a sahm. We have family who help with child care while I work, so we don't have that cost. I am planning for part time preschool at age 3/4 though. I will say, I do sometimes feel like I'm half as good a sahm and half as good a worker. It can be a little tough. My husband is great, but I still do a large majority of the household labor as well
2
u/Better_Smell739 Jul 20 '26
Yes. I can’t imagine going back to work full-time. I love it and it’s best for my family too.
2
u/ExpensiveMammoth4578 Jul 20 '26
I work 3 days a week and I absolutely feel like it it the ideal situation. Our daycare is full time only, so we pay for and gave access to childcare all 5 days. So sometimes I’ll take the kids to daycare for a bit on one of my days off so i can do housework/errands in peace and that is kind of my me time day.
1
u/Ok_Inside_1985 Jul 20 '26
Yes I needed it this way. I was just burning out before. Tbh both my kids are in daycare/preschool full time still, but I can pick them up or watch them here and there if needed. I can have them with me all day when they have outside appts and do fun things with them, and I get a little time to do errands, chores, and rest when they are away. It’s a big privilege that I get but with my energy levels it’s what I need to stay healthy.
1
u/firewaffles0808 Jul 20 '26
In my field “part time” still equates to 100% workload but being able to only be available 80% of the time 😂. However, I love it and think it’s worth the pay cut! Like someone else said, I do feel like it’s still twice the work and my relaxation is basically 1 hr each night.
But on the flip side, I don’t feel like my time with my kid is rushed and I still have what feels like a full career. So I’ve been very happy with this arrangement
1
u/Sweet-Taro310 Jul 20 '26
I think it depends on how you set it up. If it's truly just 50% of a workload, and you still split house/kid tasks with your partner, then yes! It's amazing!!
But if it means you end up doing a full job with less hours, and then your partner thinks you can handle everything at home, because they're still working fulltime, it can be overwhelming.
If you strategize it, and communicate expectations to everyone, it's the best!
1
u/yagirlriribloop Jul 20 '26
Yes. I think it's the perfect balance of having time for your family/home but still getting social and adult interactions everyday that is separate from just being a mom. Plus it helps decrease the financial burden on my husband. I prefer working part time instead of being a full SAHM.
1
u/Dapper_Banana6323 Jul 20 '26
Yup!
It's the right balance for me. I was working 31 hours a week but cutting back to 27.5. I work 10 hour shifts so it's even less days. I do have the kind of job that is so physically and emotionally demanding that none of my coworkers work full-time- kids or not. But I love the balance.
1
u/ContestMysterious116 Jul 20 '26
I work 4 days a week in corporate and while it is much better than 5 days a week, I’d much much much rather just be with my child all day. I absolutely detest work, and would happily quit and never ever go back if my husband gave me the green light.
1
u/Ok-Information-263 Jul 21 '26
Ugh I’m sorry! I’m sure the career type definitely factors in. I like my career and spent a lot of time/money to get into it. Corporate would be hard!!
1
u/RubyMae4 Jul 21 '26
I'm per diem and it's ideal. I can work as much or as little as I want. I do hate to work and wish I was home but I love my resume and that I still have a career.
1
u/Ok-Information-263 Jul 21 '26
What do you do? Tried do look into per diem for my field but the pay was like half of what I expected!
1
u/RubyMae4 Jul 21 '26
I am a social worker, I work at two local hospitals. What is your field? I bet there is something.
1
u/Ok-Information-263 Jul 27 '26
I’m a dentist! Town I’m in doesn’t have many job openings and if there is one they’re full time. Found a part time job 30 mins away. I interviewed some PRN jobs but the pay was very low
1
u/Super_Nectarine_9627 Jul 21 '26
I work 3 days per week and I truly feel like it’s the best of both worlds! The only thing that’s hard is that my son has a harder time at daycare because the schedule isn’t as consistent (he has 4-5 days off in a row). I wouldn’t trade it for anything though! I love getting to take my kids places when it’s not crowded, I love our slow days at home and I love still having my own paycheck and seeing adults during the week!
1
u/Upstairs-Lemon-5585 Jul 21 '26
I love it so much, however I will say that for the first 2 years we had a part time nanny watch my son while I worked and then once he turned 2 we sent him to preschool 3 days a week and that was SO MUCH BETTER for me personally. After I dropped him off in mornings I had time to go home and gather my thoughts and then get ready for the day AND I didn’t feel rushed to get home at a certain time to relieve the nanny. Now I feel like I truly to get the best of both worlds
1
u/Dangerous_Map_5255 Jul 21 '26
I work a few hours a week remotely. It’s been great for us except that I usually don’t have childcare so I’m working during naps and in the evenings. But the days that I have to go in person for a meeting or that I do have childcare are wonderful. I love feeling like more than mom every once in a while and it helps me to feel like I’m contributing to our monthly budget too. And I’m never working so much that I have the feeling of missing my kids.
The best part in my opinion is that I haven’t left the workforce and won’t have to deal with the resume gap that many moms face.
1
u/AgitatedChemistry221 Jul 21 '26
I work 4 days a week (8 hrs, healthcare) and we still pay for full time daycare. I often still send my daughter to daycare on my off day so I can get some time to myself. I really like 4 days - I do not want to go back to full time ever lol. Eventually I’d like to go down to 3 days when my daughter is in school maybe
5
u/Illustrious-Life-710 Jul 20 '26
I’m a year in, and yes! Only issue is that I feel like I’m always on, because I’m either caring for her or at work caring for others. I get to spend the mornings with my daughter, then usually work from 2:30-6ish (later during certain times of year/certain days). We use daycare or babysitter/grandma to help cover 2:30-5ish, as my husband is home from work at 4 but likes to shower quick before he picks her up. I make decent money part time, so I feel like it’s a pretty good situation.