DAILY SNACK
So when I tell you that I have one or two hours worth of work
That I do from home every day
While taking care of the kids,
And you ask how I do it,
And I tell you that I sometimes work at night,
And that I sometimes put Irene down for a nap
And turn on the TV for Colum,
And you say,
“Who am I to judge what other people have to do to get through the day,”
I hear judgment.
6 replies on “Dear Other Mom”
She may be judging you, but I’m filled with admiration. Go, sister.
For all those moms who work at home with children, prove to be ambitious and single-minded. I think those are admirable qualities indeed.
I LOVE THIS snippet. So true. I have something in my head and I am going to keep this to link to it.
I’ve been thinking about this post for a couple of days now. I was having a simillar discusion with one of my Arbonne colleagues a few weeks back. Someone was asking her for tips and tricks about how she built her business (this colleague is very sucessful) and once the advice was dispensed, she was told, “Oh. Well you were at home, it’s so much easier.” My colleague got upset about this… she said to me (well after the fact, I am sorry to say) “I’m sorry, but when you go to work what do you do with your children? Oh – you take them to daycare/sitter. I see. And, do you pay the sitter for that? Oh – you do. I see. And do you know *why* you pay the sitter? I’ll tell you: You pay her because it’s her JOB.”
The biggest crime that “they” have committed against women is dividing us so thouroughly that we are constantly judging and battling against each other. Imagine the world we would live in if all the women got together and started supporting each other. It would be such a different place…
Anyway. I know the two conversations are not the same. I guess I just wanted to say that I hear what you’re saying. I feel your pain. And I, do NOT judge you.
Thanks.
I just think it’s so funny that even in the process of “not judging” we are really saying, “I think you are failing, but I won’t judge you for it.” What’s that if not judgement? Note that this comment did not come about in the context of my confiding or confessing some guilt — I just mentioned in passing that I sometimes use TV (for my 3.5 year-old, not my 1 year-old) to buy myself some time to work in the afternoons. I did not even hint that this might be a less than perfect arrangement. (And while I used to feel guilty about it, I am starting to really think, screw it, my kids are fine, thankyouverymuch.)
Kind of like how “Fair enough” can sometimes mean “I think you’re an idiot and I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”