My partner and I are normally good communicators, or maybe we think so because we often quickly agree in parenting, financial, and other-worrisome-topic discussions. This summer we're hitting a snag. My partner isn't happy at work and would like to do something about it.
I'm normally very supportive of making a change work-wise and very supportive of partner's well-being as top priority (along with my own), but I'm finding myself less eager to do so these days as his income is now sole-income, his current salary will be hard/impossible to match, and I feel pressured, like supporting him is inherently at my expense.
I don't care about the money, I think we can get by with less, but I think partner wants me to get paid-work, or at least wants me to say I'll go get paid-work, which is totally fair but I don't really want to say that. Mostly because I think partner's thinking paid-work = full-time, when my ideal is that we both work part-time or flex-time and care for the kids part-time. I've said this before, but I don't feel like he's ever really entertained the thought, and I don't know why.
I want us to find some other way, and I think we can if we get creative, and get talking, and get somewhat non-traditional, we'll find one. At least I'll feel better. Maybe I should talk about (and act on) finding part-time/flex-time paid work and let him sort out his own priorities?
What should I do? What am I not getting? How do I get a conversation going that's productive?
