I explain.
My son is just coming up on 6 weeks old, and he has already done some work in this area. (Six weeks old, people. He can't even hold his own head up yet.) Both of us did voice-over for a Fringe Festival show this summer (I spoke words, he cried them), and yesterday, baby, hubby & I were in a promotional video for ThinkGeek.
Plus, at least two "bosses" (the acting school where hubby & I teach, and the company we create baby theatre with) are encouraging us to bring the little guy to work with us. During rehearsals for our next baby theatre project, he will be 9 months old--astonishingly, our target audience!!
Hubby & I have had an amazing time both being at home with our new son...reading to him (he really does focus on the pictures! Intensely!), caring for him, napping with him, singing truly stupid songs we make up on the spot:). But this time has taken a toll on our finances. We are freelancers, after all--no one was paying us for this maternity/paternity leave. So as we approach the end of it, we have money on the mind more and more...it is so, so lovely to realize that our career means No Maternity Leave AND Bring Your Kid To Work. No "Steady" Work AND Baby Can Be Part of This. Dark and light. The "light" in this case being family.
Instead of being discouraged, I feel like we are being encouraged to be a family. And yeah, steady income and benefits would be quite encouraging:), but that was never the path we chose. What I love and what is giving me such hope as I move forward in the new incarnation of my life is that our career seems to understand that it is not family-friendly in a financial sense, so it seeks to be so in whatever other ways it can.
Whatever my son grows up to be and do, he is part of an actor family. And not one confined by the walls of our apartment. Not at all.
(Baby bump in rehearsal...the start of the journey)
Oh I do love this! While I'm happy to finally be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel that leads to middle class stability (har har), I have to say that the financial and career uncertainty of the past 6 years has bonded our little bunch tighter than a million rolls of duct tape could. You guys have the enviable talent of seeing the beauty in the unknown. I love it!
ReplyDeleteThis just answered most of the questions I just emailed you...including that your baby BOY is acting...so sweet that you can all spend time together! I wish more places encouraged a "family life" type of work atmosphere. Not only is it better for all three of you but it must feel so freeing! So happy to read this post- Congrats!!
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