I can only speak for me, but I thought a lot about how to frame why i am leaving. My situation is different because I just came back from maternity leave and also had requested part-time, but was rejected. So for me I really wanted to not send the message that I couldn’t hack this work-and-life thing and was being pushed out, but rather that I was choosing to quit from a position of strength because I have better things to do in life.
If I can project a bit in my own case, I didn’t want to be another case of “women can’t actually have it all after all” but rather “I have it all, and then some, and in fact I have so much fun planned that I don’t have time for this work thing anymore”.
This is probably just my own baggage speaking, so feel free to ignore if not at all applicable to you.
@ysette9, I can totally understand where you are coming from.
And since I've been working mom for 12 years I feel like I did it and I'm not being pushed out because I can't hack it. But I'm really f#$King tired. It's a lot. And honestly it's easy when they are babies and toddlers. It's easy to find great care, wonderful people who can love them and engage them while you fill your intellectual cup up at work. But man, as they get older and go to school, I found it became exhausting. The school schedule is wacky. There is at least one random day off a month. And two weeks at Christmas, and a week at spring break. AND 10 f#%King weeks of summer. We have had to find care for ALL of that. or work from home or take PTO or some combination. And really it's worked fine. Maybe even great. But then they hit this weird stage where they are not really old enough to stay home all day by themselves (especially without killing their sibling) but they don't want a nanny, and they've aged out of camps and such. And the nights I get home at 6 or 8pm after a long board meeting, it's hard to engage. And I don't want to be that parent. I don't gain enough from my job to make mailing it in at home ok.
And here I am in my career where the next step is VP or CFO. Work has come to me and we've had that conversation about that next move. And I just can't. I've got no more to give. But yet if I stay at director, I'm board, stagnant. And maybe a little angry when younger guys move past me and get the promotion I should be taking.
So it's time. And when I turn in my notice I will say that "being home is just more compelling than being here right now but lets stay in touch". You never know right? :)