During the last seven weeks, I have wavered at times regarding whether I had made the right decision to leave the workforce as a full-time employee. For the most part, I have been at peace, but I do ask God for some tangible signs that confirm that what I am doing is the right thing for me and my family or whether I made a unilateral decision that is going to have some negative consequences to those I love.

Well, today, I received a not-so-subtle message from God that I’m on the right path. My husband was preparing for his third interview for a certain position, and as my five-year old daughter Lexi and I were leaving for school, I heard her say this prayer:

“Dear God, I know that we’re supposed to obey whenever, wherever and however you want, and we need to wait to know what that is. But can you please help my daddy get the job so that my mommy can stay home with me. I want to get to know her. Amen.”

I’m not typically a crier, but I did want to bawl my eyes out at that moment. I didn’t. Instead, I asked probing questions. Lexi, what do you mean by that? Do you feel like you don’t know me?

“Mommy, I do know you. I know you in the morning before school. I know you when you come home at night. I know you during the weekends and on holidays. I don’t know my mommy during the day.”

You have to understand. I am not one of those mothers normally wracked by guilt over going to work. Really, I’m not. In fact, I travel often for my job, and still don’t feel guilty that I’m not the one at home making breakfast and reading stories at night. Why haven’t I felt guilty about it in the past? Because it wouldn’t have served a purpose. It wouldn’t have helped my family if I were stricken by “mommy-guilt.” It would have just caused unnecessary worry and anxiety. My family was fully functioning when I was at work. My daughter didn’t seem overly upset when I left. In fact, she seemed to take pleasure in having daddy-daughter time.

So, where is “mommy-guilt” coming from now? Because my daughter prayed this prayer. Because she told me that she secretly wished I was at home with her and that while she loves having her daddy at home, she wants to know what it feels like to have mommy at home. What will we do? How will we play? Is it true that I can eat lunch with her every day? She’s never entertained these questions because I’ve been a working mother for 5 years and 6 months of her life. She hasn’t known anything else.

So now we’re at this potential place in life where she feels that her ability to have her mommy full-time hinges on my husband getting this job. (No pressure, honey!) But in that moment, I was 100%-no 1000%-sure that the decision I’m making is the right one for me and my family at this moment in time. And for some of you who have said, “It would be so nice to be able to not work, but I don’t have the finances…”

Well, here’s the truth. We don’t either, but I’m certainly willing to make sacrifices to our lifestyle so that my little girl feels like she knows me-the “every day” me. In fact, I’m excited about figuring out who this new “every day” me is going to be, too.

So…I’d better not rest on my training laurels. I’m going to need an icebreaker to end all icebreakers the first day I’m home followed by more interactivity than any participant has required during a leadership workshop.

So...what exactly do other people do with their kids during the summer break?