It's been awhile

So it's been awhile. I've been busy, life has gone on.

I'm working now. I'm a nanny for two kids, a five year old girl and a nine year old boy with aspergers. Their mom is a single mom who works for USAA here in Colorado Springs. I show up at work at 640 Mon-Wed-Fri and I don't get off until 7 pm sometimes later. On Saturdays I work from 7 am - 530 pm. It's a twenty five minute drive to get to work. By the time I get home some nights all I want to do is sit and space out until bed two hours later. The kids are alright kids on their good days. On their bad days I'm lucky if I've had a conversation with them that doesn't end in tears, mine or theirs. Unfortunately the kids are not used to discipline, and are going through a rough time as of late, so their bad days are quite frequent.

The going rate for nannies/babysitters in my area for two kids are $10 an hour starting. With experience it can be anywhere from $13-15 an hour. If you have to take the kids somewhere regularly either gas is factored in or you get an extra amount per mile. It depends on what you work out.

When I started working I was aware that I would be getting $150 a week. She's a single mom trying to make ends meet. Gas was under 3 dollars a gallon then and she presented herself as being in need with good kids. I don't know if it's me, but the longer I work the more frustrated I get. Gas has gone up to now $3.50 per gallon. I drive the twenty five minutes each to and from work, plus the 6 miles to drop off the kids at school and six miles to pick them up. Thats about half of my paycheck a week. My boss has Direct Tv plus all the extra channels(and her kids don't even watch tv). I know for a fact that she has a smart phone and she buys useless things, including eating out 3+ times a week, when she has me cooking dinner for the kids. She's claiming to be -$60 in her bank account but just yesterday she bought two blu rays, a huge KFC chicken dinner, and this morning is buying bagels for everyone at work.

I'm all for helping out. I really am, and I wouldn't mind the pay so much if I could see her actually struggling, but unfortunately I am having a really hard time being sympathetic. I want to help out, but I think I am just becoming bitter.

I have been offered a job at a summer camp in San Antonio. I worked there back in 2007, it's an amazing opportunity. I originally applied when I was still looking for a job and we thought Sam would be deployed. Now that I am working and Sam is staying here, I have a dilemma. Although taking the job in Texas would mean being away from my husband for two months, we know we can do it, we've done it before. Sam was deployed for eight months. Also, Sam is switching shifts at work now. For the next three months he will be working swings, which means the only days I would see him would be when one of us is off(which we don't even have the same days off). In July he will be switching to working Mids, which means I would be going to bed when he left for work, and when I left for work he would just be getting home. I still would never see my husband. This would most likely be my last chance to do anything like this. Not only am I getting older, but Sam and I are trying for children. Once I have children the chances of me ever doing anything like this, even though my dream is to work full time at a summer camp, is slim to none.

I want to take the job. Sam wants me to take the job. I know I would not have a job once the summer ends, but the rate I'm going I would not be able to work this job much longer unless serious changes were made, which I don't see happening. By going to Texas I would gain more experience in the area I would like to work in, and it would fill out some more unemployment gaps. I would have to look for a job again once I returned home, but I am confident that the experience with this nanny position, and at the summer camp would help my resume, and the gaps between childcare jobs.

At the same time I am hesitant. I don't want to quit because I know that would leave my boss in a lurch. The children like me and are used to me, even if they aren't usually respectful of me. Also, as much as I am aggravated by her, I still like my boss. I just don't know what to do, but a decision needs to be made real soon, so that I can give my boss ample notice to find a new nanny.