I was stuck working when I wanted to watch a 20/20 special that Elizabeth Vargas, back from maternity leave, was hosting - Can We Have It All? Can we be great moms, work, fulfill our dreams, professionally, emotionally, and everything in between? - and this blog came in from our friend Leslie and I thought, perfect. I don't have kids yet, but even in dealing with my siblings and beaus - who can be a handful:) - I can see how it is hard to juggle it all.
I forget who told me this, but since they have, it has been my self-motto that I play in my head whever I try to do a bit too much: Flavia, you can have it all, just not all at the same time. Now, hear from a real life WAHM--work at home mom:
Rx for Moms
Yesterday, during a meeting about a TV movie, I was asked when I thought I'd have the next stage of the project complete. I opened my mouth to promise the moon -- then shut my mouth quickly. As much as I want to please people and show off my productivity, I ran the risk of disappointing everyone by missing my self imposed deadline. Even though I don't get paid until I perform (and even then it takes a while), creating my own deadlines was such a luxury that I had to take advantage. Especially since, during cold and flu season, all bets are off. I finally admitted that I had no idea.
Sure enough, half way through page one this morning, my daughter called from the nurse's office at school. Actually the nurse called, she could barely speak. Two and half hours and a doctor visit later, I am finally back at my desk eyeing the clock in anticipation for my other daughter to come home from school with a study group. Wouldn't it be nice if all the fuss about flu shots made a dent in the main problem for working moms? Wouldn't it be nice if all we had to worry about was catching whatever our kids had? Wouldn't it be nice if we really had time to be sick, i.e., lay around and watch TV? The real problem, of course, is how to get any work done so we can get paid so we can pay the doctor. And, ideally, have time to give our children the TLC they need, especially when sick.
Usually I solve this problem by working at night or on weekends to keep up. But I have learned the difference between "efficiency vs. effectiveness," as the business adage goes, and do far better work when rested and having a life beyond. So what are we to do?
I hear rumors of companies helping moms with drop in clinics. I hear rumors of work-at-home moms trading triage duty. But are the rumors true?
What works for you?
Comments (1)
Work-at-home mom's have been known to do that. I had written about a woman who organized mothers in her neighborhood in San Antonio to watch each others children so they could go out and earn a living. She later became an advocate for her community and actually addressed Congress regarding her community initiatives. But her whole journey started with one mom helping another mom. Great thoughts and writing Leslie! As always!
Posted by: Joe on November 15, 2006 09:32