Ahhh...the joys of being a working mother. I believe that this will always be a conundrum with me because I would give anything to be able to stay home with my little prince and cook, clean, and mother all day long (well, almost anything...food and a roof are definitely things that my family have come to expect). I could have dinner waiting for my hunk of a man every night, a drink in one hand and a cigar in the other. The kids are fed, the house is clean, and I all I have to do is enjoy the evening with my husband.
Wait...did I just say that?
It's true, there are some days when I just wish that I could walk out of work and never come back. But there are also days when I look at the mountain of dishes piled up in the sink, the Everest of laundry piles mounting in the bedrooms, the cat hair and dust settling on the TV and my son whining and crying for a cracker ten minutes before dinner is ready and I think to myself "thank God I get to go to work tomorrow!"
I often find that my two worlds are not that different! I have to tell my dear prince four or five times to pick up his toys (granted he's two, but there's no time like the present for him to learn how to pick up after himself...his future wife will thank me!)
This is a conversation all too often had in our house: "Pick up the red truck and put it in the toy box. No, the RED truck...[pause]...right there by your foot. No, turn around...look down, right there, now it's behind you, the RED TRUCK. There you go, now put it in the toy box...no, not the toilet the toy box. Right there. Good job!!"
This is a conversation all too often had at work: "Click file, then save as to save that file. No, close that window...with the little "X" in the corner...click the file menu...[pause]...right up here where it says FILE, then scroll down...nope too far, go back up, right where it says SAVE AS. Okay, now name the file whatever you will remember. Save it to your My Documents...no, not My Computer, My Documents. Right there. Good job!"
The similarities don't end there either. There are meetings to arrange...menu's to plan...people's schedules to coordinate...appointments to keep, and then I have to go to work! One thing that isn't similar...my organizational skills don't always flow from one life to the other. At work I can find just about any file or folder within a few minutes, however, Microsoft helps out by adding a Search function to their software. If only there was a search function at home. I think it would go something like this...
Search for: Clean socks
Look In: Bedroom, Laundry room, Living room
Searching...
Results: One pair white socks. Found under left cushion of couch in living room.
Wouldn't that be nice? Hey Mr Gates, let's get this project off the ground eh?
As much as my work and home life are similar, I truly would like to spend more time with my baby. I'm jealous of all those moms out there who get to do projects and remember all those obscure holidays like May Day or the Pagan holiday of Obscurity (yes, that's a nod to my sister!) Usually the only holidays that blow my skirt up are the ones that I get Paid Time Off! Unfortunately, I don't know if my personality would be able to handle toddler talk for eight hours a day, nor could I handle going to a Mommy and Me class. Other people's kids usually bug the crap out of me! However, I have noticed quite a lack of "crap bugging" since I've had a child of my own.
Some of the similarities really do make me feel more at home. I appreciate my fellow colleagues for their effort in that. Perhaps someday I will seek employment on a more "part-time" basis, a bank teller or a teacher. But for now, I will just have to take all the days I can get with my family. I think all the time we spend apart really makes the time we get to spend together that much sweeter!
To all those stay-at-home moms out there: bless you for your patience, your kids will appreciate it some day!
To all those working-moms out there: bless you for your ability to schedule, your kids will appreciate it some day!
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