I was talking to my sister a while ago about working from home.
Don't get me wrong, my job is a wonderful blessing to our family. I am able to provide great benefits and a little bit of money to the household while spending time with my kids.
That being said, I do have to spend hours in front of the computer/on the phone every day. That sometimes means Kendree gets to watch Baby Signing Time or Easton gets to play with the ipod and I'm not interacting with them.
I made the comment at that time that a lot of days I feel like a kid manager instead of a mother. I get the kids going on an activity and then hurry to put in a few minutes of work (or dinner prep, or cleaning, or laundry, etc.). I had been feeling guilty about the lack of time I felt like I was spending with my kids, until Erc mentioned that essentially I was describing her day exactly. She would get her daughter occupied with something and then get her work done.
As it turns out, my office work/house work balance is a bit different, but I am doing the same thing she is.
I can't tell you what a relief this was at the time. My stress about this topic seemed to melt away.
I continue to try to make sure that "balance" is working for my kids. I spend time on the floor/in their rooms playing with them. I choose to read books instead of mopping the floor, or to line up cars instead of doing the dishes.
My house work may suffer because my life has to include some office work but my kids don't have to.
Now tell me, how do you achieve your balance?
3 comments:
I struggle with this too. Constant guilt as a mother I am sure, but I feel much the same, get those boys busy so I can get busy with the house work, balancing the checkbook, laundry etc. I think when they get a little older it won't be so hard (yeah right huh!) as they will be able to help me pick up and clean and not take 4 hours with what I can do in 15 mins. It is a total game of give and take but I find it hard, that being said, I need to have time to just me, so that may just be the time you use to do your office work and I use it to just veg out.
when my kids were that small I just didn't do housework very often at all. Dishes were done only when the sink wasn't accessible or as something was needed. laundry was done, just never folded. I decided it was more important to not stress and that they wouldn't remember much about the house being messy anyway. And they don't! Now that they're older they help a lot so there's less stress anyway. :) You are doing great... and the fact that you feel any guilt at all about it proves you're a good mommy!
Split the house work with the hubby so we both get equal time at home. The theme in our house is "quality time not quantity"
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