A working woman’s pledge to stop sweating the silly stuff
My pledge to stay sane when the kids return to school:
“I’m too busy to make lunches every day: The kids will survive occasional canteen crap.
I’m too busy to worry that our house looks like the target of a Scud missile strike every afternoon …
I’m too old to worry about looking fab all the time. Love me as I am.
I am always too busy to read every e-mail response copied to everyone on the class list.
I’m too busy and
- … too sane …
to worry as much as I do about making home-cooked meals every day.
And I am old enough, bold enough and rude enough to say NO when the work life juggle gets crazy. (Sing it with me, NO!)
But I’m not too busy to make the time to sit down and talk to my kids after school, draw with them and make sure they do their home work.
And I’m rarely to busy to sit at the dinner table, and talk, no matter how modest the meal, with my family and my friends.”
How do you plan to survive the return to school? What are your promises?
Related Posts:
Filed Under: Moms To Work • Working Moms Resources
About the Author: Julie Power is a writer and editor with experience in both the United States and Australia. After living in the United States for 16 years, she recently returned to live in Sydney with her husband and twin boys (9 years old).
Follow @juliepower
MomsToWork RSS Feed
The key part of my ‘plan’, such as it is, is to mark off 4 to 7 pm as a time when nothing else can/will happen but kid stuff (other than days I’m scheduled to work later). I often find myself unable to turn off from the work in my home office– sneaking back to check for email or a new draft from a colleague — and I need to just submit to the fact that I need to be 100% ‘off’. This may not seem drastic (enough), but maybe it will help me deal with the longing for “just another 20 minutes to finish….” and instead be present for my kids. cv
.-= CV Harquail´s last blog ..Target- Why Organizations Should Boycott Target but Individuals Shouldn’t Bother =-.
CV, Thank you for your comment. I try to do the same most afternoons a week during the same period (luckily I have the flexibility to work my own hours.)
Mostly I succeed, sometimes I don’t. While it is still warm, and before the homework gets too onerous, we are decamping to the pool with picnic dinners a few times a week. I love that time … just the three of us before their dad gets home and the struggle to get them to bed starts. We straggle home at twilight, au crépuscule as they say in French so elegantly, feeling happy and cosy. A perfect time of year here in DC/MD.
Of course, that does mean I am up working right now with some happy diversions like responding to you.
Julie
I have come to the same conclusion.
> I will not make the bed if I do not have the time
> I will put away the computer, iphone etc. when my kids come home and talk to them
> The kids eat a well balanced meal from the cafeteria and I pack a healthy snack for them
> I will be disciplined and focused in the hours designated for work
> To achieve this, my kids and husband are my biggest allies
And I forgot, I am too busy to tidy up before you come to visit.
If you want to see me, drop in.
If you want to see my house, call ahead …