So, let me start by saying that I do have a job, and it's a pretty decent one. The only problem is that I only work about 20 hours a week. I have insurance, and vacation time, and sick time, and holiday pay. So, yeah, I really actually like my job. It just...isn't enough. I guess that makes me one of the "underemployed". But, to tell the truth, it's not that bad. Let me explain.
My wife works forty hours a week at a job making quite a decent amount of money, and her job covers insurance for our son and pays the bills and the rent. My paycheck pays my bills and my child support for my other son. I could, technically, pick up more shifts at work, working at night since I work early in the morning. The only thing is, any extra money I made would have to go to child care. So, I would be working twice as hard so I could have someone else raise my Judah. Doesn't seem right, somehow.
So, that's where it stands. I'm still applying for jobs, every day and everywhere I can, but a part of me kind of enjoys being Recession Dad.
I know I'm not the only one. I know there are a lot of Recession Dads and Moms and Grandparents out there. I know there are a lot of people that are getting by with just one income, or government help, or living on savings. And I know it's not going to last forever - the economy is getting better, unemployment and underemployment are going down, and I will find another full-time job. I know that, at some point, my son will have to be watched by someone other than a family member. But.
But I got laid off from my last job in December of 2010, and my boy was born in January of 2011. I found my current, part-time job in June of 2012, and I watch him every day when my wife goes to work after I come home. That's almost two years of being Recession Dad, and I think we're both better people for it. (Okay, technically, I'm a better person for it, since he's still a pretty new person, but bear with me.)
I love being able to see him every morning, see his morning smile or his morning crankies. I love being able to watch what he eats, and monitor what he watches on TV (yes, we watch TV, please forgive me!). I love being able to foster his interest in books and love walking into his bedroom unobserved and seeing him sitting, looking at his own books. I even love when he gets mad at me, his face that looks so much like his moms getting the same angry scowl, and I love trying so hard not to laugh.
So, yes, I know that I will go back to work at some point. I know that I'll become one of the millions of working stiffs whose kids go to daycare all day. I know all of that, but for now, for better or for worse, I get to be Recession Dad. And that's just fine with me.