Every May, I look forward to the last day of my spring session here in the studio. I absolutely love my job and feel blessed to do what I do for a living, but a little vacation is good for the mind, body, and soul.
I’ve always taken a two-week break in between the end of the spring session and the beginning of the summer session, but this year is different. For the first time in my adult life, I will not be working for almost 3 full months.
I went back and forth over how much time to take off for my maternity leave, since there are so many factors involved: I’m self-employed (meaning there’s no such thing as “paid time off”), I don’t have anyone to fill in for me while I’m off, and I work from home (making it just a little easier to balance motherhood and career).
But after careful consideration and lots of welcome advice from my family, friends, and even the families I serve, I decided that taking the entire summer off is best in the long run. Those first few months of my baby’s life are precious and fleeting, and I know that if I cut my time with him short, I will regret it down the road.
I am so incredibly thankful that all of my clients have been supportive of this decision. Of course, many of my kiddos are sad that they won’t see me all summer, but timing-wise, it couldn’t have worked out better. Summer is such a crazy time for everyone, and between vacations, summer camps, and other activities, I usually end up with more cancellations than actual sessions and lessons.
I plan to keep in touch with my families throughout the summer, and have offered to be available for consulting and general communication via phone and email in July and August. I may even schedule some make-up sessions and lessons in those months depending on how I’m feeling and how the baby is doing. I have a feeling that by the first week of September, I’ll be ready to open those studio doors back up and resume the hectic schedule I love so much!
So today, my last day of work, is a little bittersweet, but I’m happy and excited for what is to come.
