I have a big meeting with an important client in an hour, and I’m in my office putting the final touches on my powerpoint presentation. I’m reviewing all the data, rehearsing my pitch for more business, and making sure the invoice is correct. I’m well-dressed, I’ve got my “business face” on, and I’m in the zone.
Then I hear it; a bang, followed by a scream. It shatters my professional veneer. Screaming in an office? What can be happening? Confused, I listen to the inarticulate wailing, trying desperately to make out a word – a clue to the identity of the screamer and the cause of the disturbance. Then I hear it…those fateful five letters that cause my entire professional world to come crashing down around my ears: MOMMY!
Yup, my office is in my basement and the kids are upstairs with Daddy and Nana, neither of whom are able to soothe the bleeding two-year old who has just fallen and split her lip. Enter “SUPERMOM” – the woman who can do (and does, because she has to, because nobody else will) EVERYTHING! I finish the presentation with my toddler sniffling on my lap, intermittently wiping her bloody, snotty face on my blouse and saying “Mommy no go”. After comforting her enough to be handed over to Nana for cuddles, I’m able to escape upstairs for a last-minute wardrobe change before rushing off (slightly late) to my big, important meeting.
Does this sound at all familiar? If so, you’re a member of the increasingly popular “work at home mom” (WAHM) club. Maybe you run a daycare or a high-tech consulting firm. Maybe you run an Accounting business or a hairdressing salon. Whatever your business, if you do it from home and you have kids, you’re a WAHM. You know how laughable the phrase “working from home” is – if your children are around. Like when your kids were babies and you trained yourself to survive on several small doses of sleep each day, you’ve now trained yourself to accomplish major projects in several of the 20 minute increments of uninterrupted work time your children allow you.
Difficult as it is, though, frustrating as it can be; I love being a WAHM. As much as I may daydream about quiet offices and long stretches of uninterrupted work, I wouldn’t trade my job for anything. It’s tough, don’t get me wrong, but I’ve got the best of both worlds. It just takes a light touch and a lot of time management. I’ve learned to better manage my own and my clients’ expectations. I’ve learned to communicate more clearly (and much farther in advance) with my husband and babysitters. I’ve tried to teach my daughters that though they’re my main priority, I also have other jobs. I need to make a financial contribution to our family’s well-being, and I want to keep in touch with my professional side. I want them to understand that as much as I love to meet the needs of my family, there are a lot of choices for women in our world – I want them to see my role at home as a choice I’ve made, not a natural destiny.
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Kath
I hear ya! I was able to do conference calls when my littlest was a baby, but now that she’s two – no way! I don’t even answer the phone when the kids are at home unless I know the person I’m going to talk to has kids as well. Actually, many of my clients are WAHMs too, so we totally understand each other. Let’s hear it for the WAHM revolution!
Thank you for this! I am a WAHM too and every comment rang true! I also love it, love it, love it and ohhhh I thank technology for allowing us to do this WAHM thing! What I have learnt is how to make a conference calls v. efficient and effective…