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9 Books for Stay-at-Home Parents Returning to Work

by Jennifer Ridgway

Photo credit: Caiaimage/Robert Daly, Caiaimage Collection/Getty Images

When I took a career detour to stay home with my twins, one of the biggest factors I had to consider was how it would affect my career. Now, as the countdown to pre-K begins, I am beginning to contemplate what my future career should look like and when it should start.

Whether you’ve stayed at home with your children for a couple of years or a couple of decades, there are unique challenges to returning to work. Here are some books that can help along the way.

  • Bonus: Fiction About Balancing Kids and Jobs

  • Returning to the workplace after time off can be a daunting experience – and sometimes it’s good to be reminded that you’re not alone in your journey. These two novels feature women navigating the challenges and successes they discover in balancing parenthood and careers.

  • The 10 Year Nap

    by Meg Wolitzer

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    Wolitzer’s novel centers around four stay-at-home moms, friends since college. Leaving promising careers, they now find themselves trying to figure out who they are after years of being “just a mom.”

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  • A Window Opens

    by Elisabeth Egan

    Alice Pearse seemingly has the best of both worlds: she works part-time in the city as the book editor for a woman’s magazine, allowing her to spend more time with her children. When her husband’s job situation suddenly changes, she finds herself trying to find a full-time job and then juggle work and her family.

Did you recently reenter, or are you considering reentering, the workplace? Have any other must-reads for transition? Let us know in the comments section below!