So yesterday my boss and I had the following conversation. It started with an email she sent me which went like this:

Hi,
**** told me this morning that she is taking a job at ************** as their exhibits coordinator. Last day will be Feb. 13. I’m telling you this for 2 reasons…first you just need to know. Secondly, the office position might be something to think about with a baby. I am not suggesting you should change jobs at all. I will be very happy if everything works out so that you can remain a consultant.

The assistant position would have to mean a downward adjustment in salary since this is a lower level position, but I wanted to put the idea on the table in case it has any interest for you.

See you at ********* tomorrow!

I did not know how to react at first. I was torn between being hurt, being intrigued, being insulted, yet being strangely comforted that she wanted me to stick around after the baby was born. I actually spent most of the day talking to friends, my mom, and my husband trying to decide how to tactfully reply. Here was what I came up with:

Hi ***,
Thank you very much for thinking of me when you heard about ****. An office job is a very tempting prospect, and although I would love to work for ********** in the ******* office, I'm afraid that ****'s position would not provide enough of a challenge for me or enable me to use the experiences and skills that I have developed during my time with ************. Please feel free to keep me in mind if other local positions come up in the future though, and I appreciate your looking out for me!

Her reply to me was:

No problem. I only mentioned it since it popped up. You are definitely over skilled for the job, but I didn’t want to make any judgment calls. :)

As you can see, I am still taken aback by the conversation. I think it affected me more than I thought it might...