Working Mom Dilemma: The Commute from Hell

Disclaimer: I realize any job opportunity should be celebrated and by no means am I complaining about having an amazing opportunity. Take most of this with a grain of salt/ all in good fun. I know how lucky I am to be where I am.

Well folks as you have probably read, I got offered an amazing job opportunity. Near dream job status really. This job will launch my career and I know I will learn so much as well as have so much to contribute. Of course you are picturing me sauntering down the halls of my shiny office building wearing my new, 30% off suit from Marshals (yeah not making big time money yet), hair flowing in the air conditioned breeze, grinning from ear to ear, and holding up a manual I just perfected. Think again. This job is located DOWNTOWN people. DOWNTOWN. Which means one thing, my pampered suburban car driving, cushy 20 minute commuting ass is going to have to take PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION. Gasp! I know. This means that I will more likely be running into the building sweaty and in my gym shoes, hair dripping wet from whatever horrible weather elements I must now endure, and my shoulder dislocated from slugging around that damn 300 page manual everywhere!

For the first time ever in my life, I will be relying on public transportation to get to work. Now don’t get me wrong, I have had my fair share of public transit experiences in the past (heck I drove a bus for close to 5 years.) The commute is bad this is true, but let me tell you where this makes me fall apart, I will no longer be in the same building as Emma. In fact, my commute has more than doubled now, which means less time in the afternoons with Emma (40 minutes less but still.)

I almost can’t handle it. I knew if I took this job what was to come. I am constantly asking myself “Am I now a horrible mother for taking the money over the extra time with my child?” In the long run it will get us to a safer neighborhood and more opportunities for her so I just have to keep playing out that scenario in my head over and over again. That still does not keep me from an unhealthy obsession to figure out how I can have the “best commute” (not that I think there is such a thing after I have been spoiled for over 2 years.) I am going from driving 20 minutes, dropping off my kid and literally driving around the block to the parking garage where I park for FREE. To having to drive to a subway, pay for parking, pay for a train ticket, and transfer at least once. What’s funny is I physically live about 20 minutes from where I will work but there’s no way I can shell out $20+ a day to park downtown.

With my unhealthy obsession, I have called daycares in different areas, I have mapped out no less than 3 different routes to take offering various amounts of driving and transit dependency. It is really tough living in a very densely populated area because simply put, all of the daycares are full and have year long waitlists and all of the people who work downtown get paid well so they can afford the ridiculously overpriced centers. Leaving me to keep Emma at her current center (yes my OLD office building) for the time being. This means I will be commuting to my old office building (which is across from the subway) to drop her off at daycare which takes me 20 minutes AWAY from my new job downtown, thus doubling my commute.  It is pretty ridiculous I know. I still have a few more daycare centers to call but for now, we are doomed to this fate.

I guess I really shouldn’t complain too much, I got a great job and an extra 40 minutes is not the end of the world, but then again, being a working mom, every second counts. At least to me.