The main problem with being a work-at -home mom is that you can’t expect to fit in. Like never. And, there’s always the dilemma of how to define us exactly. So, I’m home all day getting to spend time with my kids but yet I have a career and I am earning my own money. While this seems to be a fair way of dealing with things, people still tend to look at you with a shred of doubt and disbelief at times. Having quit my job six years ago when my daughter was born, I am currently dealing with my work affairs from home. You might think of me as the mom who is taking client calls while my daughter is sitting on my lap trying to distract my attention or you might picture me trying to answer all my email while I am trying to convince my daughter to eat her cereals. Well most of the time I’m just trying to keep up with everything, but for most people I still remain an enigma shrouded in mystery.So, naturally, I will be exposed all kinds of comments from a bunch of people who most likely have never been in my situation before. Here are some of the most common comments I get when people find out I am a mom who works at home.
-“You’re lucky to have so much time for yourself”
Sure, if you consider working and taking care of kids to be “time for myself”. I mean, it’s not like if I have some free time I am going to take a bubble bath and read a book while I light some perfumed candles to go with my mood. Most of the time I have to clean the mess left behind and keep up with deadlines from work. After all, all that money spent on daycare is not meant to help me relax while I have some free time on my hands but rather to help me keep up with everything. I haven’t truly relaxed since my daughter was born, and I don’t know any moms who can truly say that they have time for themselves. That’s the thing when you have kids, your priorities shift, and that’s okay, but is not fair for other people to make it look like you have no care the world.
-“It’s great that you can work from home”
Considering that this industry relies heavily on underpaid workers and doesn’t offer any kind of opportunities is definitely not great. There is a lot of compromise behind this kind of decision mainly because you won’t benefit from a steady paycheck or an employer provided health insurance anymore. Of course those things will reflect upon your daily life when you realize that you simply don’t have the resources to keep up, even if you are overworked most of the time. Of course everybody makes their decisions and I’ve made mine, but that doesn’t mean I am not paying the cost for this lifestyle.
-“Your job sounds interesting. Maybe I should try it”
For the record I have a degree in creative writing. I’ve also spend a great deal of time in the publishing industry trying to be noticed. So, this is not a hobby for me or something that I do for fun. This is what I do in order to pay my bills. Is takes as much time, work and responsibility as any job would. Sure, you can do it my way. You just have to quit your job and get paid significantly less by working on whatever projects are left. Indeed, very interesting.
-“You have all you need”
Of course in some ways this is true. I get to spent time with my kids and watch them grow every day while I do the work that I love. While this is very satisfying you also have to consider that it’s hard not to mix the two. Sometimes I have to squeeze a whole day of work in a couple of hours or to compensate by staying up all night. There is also the scenario in which the kids get frustrated because I have to write one more page until I can came play with them. So there is no such thing as having the best of both worlds.
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