I’m used to working from home. I’m used to running kids to extra-curricular activities.
I’m used to working from home with kids around, although I’m still generally terrible at it. But I’m better than I used to be.
What I’m not used to is working from home while homeschooling AND keeping up with extra-curricular activities online, which is apparently a thing that happens now. I’m not saying it’s bad that kids are held to certain expectations during this time, I’m just saying that I don’t have time to coordinate it all.
I’m also not used to dealing with sad faces of sad kids who can’t see their friends and who are already hormonal and probably all teed up for some depression if this continues for a long time. They all need some extra attention right now. Attention that requires, you know, TIME and BANDWIDTH from parents.
I’m also not used to having to be creative, productive, and responsible while there’s a deadly global pandemic breathing down our necks.
Listen, we have it GREAT over here. Great. We’re fine. Everyone is healthy. Joe and I are not too worried about losing our incomes. We’re not in the middle of planning a wedding, caring for a family member after a surgery, dealing with custody issues, buying a house, or handling any of the other dramatic stuff of life that has been on our doorstep over the last few years. If something like this had to happen, it’s happening during a relatively drama-free time in our household. For that I’m thankful. I know that’s not the case for everyone.
And I’m also thankful that our kids are a little older and don’t need constant supervision right now. Working from home with little kids is a whole different ballgame. And working from home as a single parent with little kids is harder than you can imagine. And working from home as a single parent who is struggling to make ends meet … well, then you just get used to living in a low-level state of panic, anyway. I’ve done all of those things and I’m thankful I don’t have to do them right now.
Hell, I even have my own office now with a DOOR. Thirty square feet that’s mine-all-mine. On Monday, I ate leftover corned beef and cabbage in here with the door closed and it would’ve been a terrible thing to do in a real office with other people, but this room is mine and I can stink it up however I like.
I AM LUCKY.
But right now? I just feel like complaining. Who’s in?
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