Babysitting and the politics of dissent
We’d given up on child care. Our experiment in the spring wasn’t a disaster, but you have to trust a mother’s vibe, and B’s vibe with the girl we has wasn’t great, especially after we checked her references. She didn’t lie, exactly, but it wasn’t what you’d call an accurate representation of the facts. After two or three Fridays, we called it quits. We need B to keep her job, though. After health insurance, saving some and my student loans, about 50% of my salary goes toward rent, and while it should, the remaining $250 a week or so just isn’t going to cover the bills and expenses for a family of three. For a while, I worked 7-to-5, four days a week, and stayed home on Fridays with the boy. That was great for everyone, but there were some not-so-subtle hints from my bosses that putting family ahead of the appearance of productivity (don’t get me started) just wasn’t cricket, and for the sake of my already-tenuous position, I went back to the 8-to-5 routine. That meant B ...
