Jen said that I should explain myself a bit more so that I will be more relatable; so you know exactly where I'm coming from. I hesitated to be more specific on the first Meatloaf and Growth blog for a few reasons, one of which was because I didn't want it to be about me or my situation. I wanted it to be for everyone. But after mulling it over I realized that some of the stuff I will write will not necessarily pertain to all single-parents, only those that are sailing a similar boat. And I think that's okay, but I also think Jen is right, I need to clarify just so we're all on the same lake.
My husband, Joel was laid off from his teaching job suddenly and unexpectedly back in August of 2007. His specialty is (was) physical education (K-12), but he could also teach science/biology to middle school through high school. Elementary P.E. was his favorite and the reason he chose to become a teacher. There were no teaching jobs available in any of those areas. We live in Michigan if that tells you anything. So now, he has a new career working for a branch of the federal government that, as I said, started on January 4, 2009. He lives in one state and we live in another. That was part of the hiring stipulations; that basically since they recruited him to work in a specific state, he would have to stay there for at least 2 years before requesting a transfer back to Michigan, no exceptions. We likened it to what military families do all the time, only he has the option to just leave the job. He would never do that, but it gave us comfort to know that he could if it got to be too difficult for Gracie. One of the reasons we knew that the kids and I would be staying here was because of our house. We still owe $139,000 on our mortgage and houses around here are going for easily less than $100,000, as low as $5000 on foreclosed homes. Blah, blah, blah. Boring stuff. But I'm just letting you know why we stayed. (Also because Nate's dad couldn't move...)
August of 2007 was a pivotal month for us. Around the same time Joel was laid off, I had just reduced my hours as a nurse at the hospice center I was working at because I'd finally realized that I could be a real writer and writing is what I've always loved to do and I was going to do it--I was going to write a book. And then another and another. So far I've completed one book and started two others. I've done some short stories, too. That's what I do now; I work on my writing (and searching for an agent) while the kids are at school. I have yet to earn a dime from any of it, but it doesn't matter. I love it and I will always write.
So that's why Jen came up with the "single-parent without the benefits" phrase (I asked her and she was the one that made it up) because while many single-parents get somewhat of a break when the other parent takes the kiddos for a day or two, parents like us do not have that option. But that was our choice. And everyday I am thankful that my husband has a solid job with no fears of being laid-off, he loves it and he loves all of the new and diverse friends he's met through that line of work, and our life today is so very different from the life we had only two years ago, but we are both so grateful and would not trade it.
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