Long story short, a conversation arose today where my boss looked me in the eye and pretty much challenged me to tell her if I was planning on returning to work after my next mat leave (which doesn’t even start for 4.5 more months!)
Well, I am pretty sure she can’t ask things like that but I had some brilliant moment of clarity (rare for a Monday) where I shot back, “Do you want me back? What is my incentive?”
And not one word of a lie, one short conversation and one email later she is asking me what an ideal (and realistic) raise would be! WHAT? Did a pregnant woman just get asked what her career goals and salary expectations are!? Hold the phone!
Side note: I asked for $5k, my husband says I should have said $10k and landed at $8k… baby steps, I say.
I do have to keep my excitement in check however, because a lot of our talk was (air quote) hypothetical. Refreshing nonetheless to be asked and not just shooed out the door with a pat on the head. Maybe all my eye rolling and belly-aching (literal and metaphorical) about the plight of mother’s made an impact? Or maybe they like me? Or maybe it is another “Super Moon”?
Regardless, I am now in the tricky spot of guilt. Should I choose not to go back I will be branded as the ungrateful one who took a (hypothetical) raise and never returned? Will I be the one they sparked a dialogue with who ran for the hills? Or worse, will I be the mom who comes back with two preschool kids who looks and smells like shit everyday and is on the receiving end of a lot of pitiful looks from Holt Renfrew clad Bitchy Lions? Oh god.
Why I can’t I just get a raise and be happy?
-Tightrope Mama
[image source: wikipedia]
I am still just totally impresed (and jealous, however weird that is) that you are a working Mom, and knocked up, all proffesional and then blogging...and negotiating raises. You are like my real life Sex and the City episode. What are you wearing? *stalker perv breathing* ;-)
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