Post from Melanie Forstall - Stories of Life, Love, and Mothering

I love my job. I really, really love my job. I actually enjoy working. I am a better mother as a working mother. This, I am certain.

My husband loves his work, too. He enjoys working with people and he's successful at it. I'm sure of this, too.

We both work. We both work because it makes financial sense for us but we also both work because it's better for us personally. We are a working family.

This is hard for working parents.

We have faced this now for the second time in two weeks. Not to mention the things he's missing out on again today (50th day of Kindergarten, Halloween), but this can be a real challenge for working families.

We are lucky. We both have just enough flexibility in our jobs, and we are both willing to give up some parts of our days, so we can make it through this with limited collateral damage.

But it still sucks.

Working families have to make hard decisions sometimes.

It's not simple for us but I have come to some realizations that help me get through days like this. I can only make decisions with the information I have in front of me. Worrying about the 'what-ifs' only makes it worse. So much worse. I can't worry about what happens outside of my home. I have to do what's best for my family. The rest will work itself out. As for the things I can't control? Let them go.

And with that, I snuggle as best I can and wipe away tears. (Wipe hard surfaces down, too.) I reassure him that he will be okay, offer lots of love, hugs, and saltine crackers. I put on my bravest face and I leave him behind in the warm, caring arms of his daddy.

I know he will be fine. I know we will be fine. But the truth is, I will worry and regret and second-guess, and worry, and wonder all. day. long.