d to support my husband through school, and, since I did not have children yet, for something to do. The seed in the back of my mind was finishing school and career advancement. At that point, I did not know what career I wanted. When my first child came along I took time off but was back at work within a year for financial reasons. I settled for less than what I wanted because I was not ready for the additional responsibility of a higher paying job and I did not have the confidence to pursue further. When the next child came along, I was back to work for financial reasons. At that point, work was very dissatisfying because my paycheck went to pay daycare and little else. It did not make sense. Now, I work out of necessity because I am single. What I have learned throughout the years is that my needs have changed. Whether it is because of circumstance or maturity or a little of both I am not sure. I am glad I worked throughout my marriage because it has made it easier for me to support my children as a single parent. However, if I had to do it all over again, I would be home with my children to make sure their needs were met. They are the single most important thing to me. When I was married, they were not. My husband was most important, then my children, then work. As the years passed and I gained maturity, confidence and experienced great emotional stress, I now feel I can focus on my future. I am satisfied taking small steps towards career advancement. I do not have the goal of achieving loads of money, a stressful job and a good title as fast as possible. I want to be available to my children while still providing them a decent lifestyle. My fulfillment will come when they graduate from high school or college happy and secure. I have twenty years after that to dive head over heals into a career. The women next door may set different priorities or think I am nuts not to excel at work faster when it is offered...
