Brittney Calfee
Discussion Board 6

For this week’s discussion board, I found myself staring at a blank word document for a long period of time, not sure how to respond. During the last couple years of my emerging adulthood and the first couple years of my middle adulthood, I faced many inner struggles related to work. It has only been in the last year that I accepted and embraced my work. My younger brother and I were raised by a hardworking, single mom. My parents divorced when I was 8 years old. Due to my dad suffering from alcoholism, he wasn’t around much while I was growing up. His disease prevented him from being the father and husband we needed and severely damaged his social life. However, his battle with alcoholism did not affect his work. He drove for the same trucking company for years, with a perfect driving and employment record. From childhood on, every influential adult in my life worked at a professional job. It was the only option. I started working when I was 16. I worked in fast food until I completed a couple courses at a community college and became a Medication Technician and CNA. During that time, I had my first child. I put her in daycare when she was 6 weeks old, so that I could return to my job. Almost 6 years later, I had my second child. 3 years later, my third child. I made the decision then, to take a short amount of time away from work, only to adjust. During that time, we moved into a new house and had a few unexpected personal, family challenges take place. My short amount of time off, turned into over a year. My husband received a promotion at his job, which allowed us to be financially capable of me being a stay at home mom. At first, I loved the idea of staying at home with my children. I gradually grew a feeling of inadequacy. I grew up believing that unemployment meant irresponsibility. I had never experienced or