A Quandary With Several Facets

Ian pointed out to me that, ever since Mommy started her new job, he has seen less of both her and me.  This set off the parental guilt hyperactivation system  in ways he couldn't have anticipated.  I told him that maybe I can come home an hour earlier on Mommy's work-days, and maybe Mommy can shift to a schedule where she works more days for a shorter work-day, so that she can be home when Ian gets home from school.  I  asked him what he thought about that, and things turned out to be more nuanced than I realized, as he explained:

"But I do still like to see Darcie, so it's a hard thing."

In other words, he'd like to see more of me and Mommy, but he might feel bad about seeing less of his baby-sitter.

(Ian, May 21, 2012)