Thursday, August 22, 2019

Workin' Moms

First and foremost, Workin' Moms on Netflix is the greatest thing to happen to moms since the yoga pant.



ALSO. Here we are...the home stretch. Almost back to school and back to my sorta work. I work part time. I call it "underemployed" but really I am part time and I need to own that because I DO LOTS OF THINGS when I'm not actively at my place(s) of employment.

But last spring, I worked full time for three months. I had a long-term-sub position at a private school nearby, an experience I called "teacher vacation" because they fed me lunch and the building was all one temperature. I also kept all my tutoring clients.

What was MOM time on MWF became mostly work time and what was ONE MOM became FOUR people:
- husband who took three long lunches to accommodate my afternoon class.
- his parents who I asked to help out because they are the best in-laws ever and also because they are free
- a friend from college who graciously agreed to nanny for us part time and my children only broke her spirit SOME of the days

THINGS I DID NOT DO WHILE WORKING:
- cook (like at all)
- clean
- kid-clothes shop
- go on dates (bc I used up all my childcare favors and $$ on covering my work schedule)
- stay awake past 10pm
- wake up later than 6am

THINGS I DID DO WHILE WORKING:
- buy work-appropriate clothes (because leggings as pants seemed wrong)
- exercise (about half as much as before)
- organize mental and physical health care for 3/4 family members (Doctor Husband is on his own)
- attend IFEP, IEP, and evaluations for each of my children
- attend bi-monthly therapy sessions for our family
- ALL THE LAUNDRY FOR SOME REASON (friend nanny offered to help with this, in her defense, and I think in-laws did, too, but I was never READY to give up this glorious task)
- attended four weddings
- went to Disneyworld (see previous post)

IT WAS EXHAUSTING YOU GUYS. And, yeah, if it was a forever-job thing, I'd have put the kids in daycare full time and it would have been more effective. And, yeah, the girl is going to kinder in a week and that's free.

BUT:
Between pick up and drop off and OT and therapy and doctor's appointments and sick days and soccer practice and swim lessons, I don't actually have that many hours a week where I'm not with a kid considering they will both be "full time students" after Labor Day.

SO WHAT AM I SAYING?

I don't know.

Mental load, I guess. Feminism. The patriarchy.

OK HERE'S WHAT IT IS:
RESPECT TO YOU ALL.

If you are a working parent. An "underemployed," part-time, unemployed, stay at home, or any combination I can't think of. RESPECT to you. THIS SHIT IS INTENSE. It is not easy for ANY of us. No one (I know) has it easy.

SO you do you. And you're going a good job. Whatever that job may be.

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