I am a mom of a 3-year old and I have a full-time job. A remote full-time job. Which means, I work from home. I’m a working stay at home mom, if you want.
While this has its perks — fairly flexible hours, I can work in my PJs, etc. — it also has its downsides. There is always laundry. Always some kind of bill payment or other paperwork to get done. And our backyard (OMG OUR BACKYARD).
The hardest part, though, is that my friends and family have a completely distorted idea of “working from home” and “flexible hours.” They call me at 10:30 a.m. and start chatting for an hour. Or text me at 2 p.m. on a Thursday and ask me what I’m up to. Or invite me over for a glass of wine at 3 p.m., which I might or might not have considered accepting more than once in the past.
My question is: Would they do that if I had a, say, faculty job at Auburn University? I’m 99% sure the answer is: no, of course not. (At least I can confirm that I don’t call my husband during office hours to ask what he’s up to.)
But here’s the thing: This is exactly what keeps me sane. Working from home, alone, five days per week, can be pretty isolating, even if you are connected to a team of 100 people spread across the globe and your Skype chat never shuts up. And working in the creative, writing industry also means constant pressure to be inspired, get stuff done, and have some sort of output. It can be suffocating at times — and having a good chat with a friend or hanging with my neighbor to discuss my (ahem) backyard is sometimes exactly the right thing to un-block my brain.
So, yes: Remote work as a mom is, after all, pretty neat. And if my laundry or pile of bills or un-mowed lawn scream at me too loud, I still have the option to leave it all behind and drive to Panera Bread. Even though it means I have to take off my PJs and wear real clothes.
