Role reversal

I had an interview for a job in Oregon. The office is less than a 20 min drive from our new apartment. The pay is good (for the job), the company is growing (opportunity for advancement in the future) and best of all health benefits start on the day I get hired!  Needless to say, I was a nervous wreck about the interview. So much seemed to be riding on me not making a complete ass of myself over the phone.  Turns out, I didn't make an ass out of myself, in fact, I scored an in person interview for the week we move!  If all goes well during that interview, I'll be working at a new job within days of our Big Move.

You might wonder why I'm looking for work and interviewing for jobs and John is not.  Well, I suppose it's because I'm more motivated right now.  Frankly, I think he's burnt out.  The last year was really rough on him and he needs some recovery time.  And while we do have the funds for both of us to be out of work until the end of the year, I'd much rather get a job and support ourselves on that and use the money we have towards paying off any debt we still have after the house sells or putting it away in savings for an emergency fund or in the boys' college savings.  It would also be nice to start a travel fund so we can fly instead of drive back to Utah next time.

I want John to find a job he'll be happy in. If I'm working, that gives him extra time to find a job that will be the right fit for him.  Plus, I'm excited to go back to work!  I've been home for three years, and I love it, don't get me wrong, but I think it would be really good for our family for John and I to reverse roles for a while.  I think it would be good for John and the boys to have some real time together.

That said, John's not so excited to be a stay at home dad.  The kids are at challenging ages right now and they tend to drive him crazy a lot of the time.  But I think he gets so frustrated so easily because he's not around it all day long.  They kind of wear you down after a while. You learn to pick your battles, you learn what disciplinary techniques work best for each situation.  Plus, if he REALLY doesn't like it, that will give him incentive to kick up the job search a notch!

I think this role reversal will also be good for our marraige.  Occasionally we find ourselves getting after eachother becuase we think the other has it easier.  My supporting the family financially for a while and John managing the home front will help us to better understand what we each deal with.  Who knows, we may like it better this way.  We'll see.