Working from home, especially as a mama, is often viewed as the “easy” job or the “you’re not really working” job. But that is far from the truth! Being a work-at-home mom is just like any other job. The only difference is that instead of working in an office, mama’s work in a noisy, hectic, toy-filled living room with their little ones tugging on them for a hug or kiss, milk or snack. Work-at-home mamas potty train, put their babies down for naps, do dishes + tackle laundry around the different demands of their job.
At Pink Stork, we are fortunate to have a team (mostly) comprised of work-at-home moms. And while each of them loves their job, they won’t sugar coat it … working from home with little ones running around is NOT easy.
Keep reading to see what our team says are the biggest misconceptions about being a work-at-home mom.
“You have such an easy job!” - We do not have an easy job. It isn’t easy having a little one beg for your attention when you have a project that needs to be done ASAP. It isn’t easy having a child crying in the background of a work conference call. It isn’t easy trying to focus in to write this blog post with a little one running circles around the coffee table. Trust us, it isn’t easy. It is a lot of work to keep those little ones calm + occupied while you work.
“You get to make memories all day with your little ones!” - This is partially true. We do get to spend the day making memories with our kids! But what do those memories look like? Sometimes they are fun + full of play, creativity, and laughter. But sometimes they are of the kids playing quietly in their rooms for a few hours, waiting for mommy to be done working so they can go to the park. Sure, we get to create memories. But even those come at a price sometimes.
“You just sit around in your pajamas all day!” - Now, we don’t know about you, but pajama days usually equal lounging in bed + watching Netflix. We still get ready for the day. We still get dressed, brush our teeth, and look presentable (at least most days)! Feeling put together = feeling motivated to get work done.
“Oh, that is a fun side-job! What a cool hobby!” - So many people think that working from home isn’t a “real” job. They think we are always available to meet for coffee, babysit, run errands, and more. But in reality, we still have tight schedules, deadlines to meet, and tasks that need to be crossed off.
“You use your TV as your babysitter.” - This could not be any more false! Sure, TV is a great help if we are in a pinch. But most days are spent multitasking between completing a task + making lunches or jumping on a conference call while sitting at gymnastics. Work-at-home moms are great at doing multiple things at once ... we have to be!
Working-at-home means having the ability to work while the kids play (sometimes quietly, often not that quietly), flexibility to take the kids to classes or the park in the middle of the week, and really being able to be present for almost everything that my kids go through. But it also means working almost every evening (sometimes late into the night), taking phone calls in the grocery store, and every once in a while, watching a kid scream behind a glass door while on an important conference call. It sounds CRAZY to be a work from home mom, and it is. But honestly, we wouldn’t change it for a job in the corporate world ANY day.
If you are a work-at-home mama, imagine us hugging you through this blog post. If you are work-out-of-the-home mama, we are hugging you as well. Work is work. Whether it is at home with your kids or at an office. Kids make working harder. Period. We respect you working mamas. We applaud you. We support you! Let us know in the comments which ones you relate to!
