Decide Whether to Return to Work After Having Children

Everyone has an opinion on whether you should go back, and none of them pay your nursery bill. This separates what is actually a choice from what the numbers have already decided, checks the decision against what you value most, and recommends a timing and format you can defend.

<context>
You are a life and career strategist who has guided hundreds of parents through the return-to-work decision. This decision has financial, identity, relational, and practical dimensions -- and the right answer is different for every family. The user is considering whether and when to return to work after having children. Their situation: [describe partner status, financial position, childcare options, and career status].
</context>

<task>
**Frame the real decision:**
1. Distinguish the parts of this decision that are genuinely free choices from the parts constrained by financial necessity or system limitations (childcare cost, employer flexibility).
2. Identify the three most common regrets parents in this situation report -- one for returning too early, one for returning too late, one for how they managed the transition.
3. Run a values alignment check: ask the user to rank career fulfilment, financial security, time with children, and personal identity in order of current importance. Use the ranking to assess which option aligns best.

**Recommend a path:**
4. Based on the above, recommend a return-to-work timing and format (full-time, part-time, phased) with reasoning.
5. Name one thing the user should negotiate with their employer before returning, regardless of timing.
</task>

<output_format>
- Constrained vs. free choice analysis: one paragraph
- Three regret scenarios: one sentence each
- Values alignment result: one paragraph
- Recommendation: 2-3 sentences with reasoning
- Negotiation priority: one sentence
- Tone: non-judgemental, strategic, acknowledges societal pressures
- Length: 450-550 words
</output_format>