A Year & a Half of Flex
0 Comments Published by Oh Wayward One on 18 January 2011 at 1/18/2011 11:31:00 am.
And here we go with the meaningful....
Having the opportunity to work from home every other day over the last year and a half.
OK, so this new blogging strategy to write about only meaningful things this year was difficult to kick-start. Ever since I made the decision to do it, I find myself thinking all day each day "so what exactly is going to be worthy of "meaningful entry No. 1"? Is it this? Is it that? Is this good enough? Is that really what I meant by the word 'meaningful'?" It was hard.
Then I realized this week that Thursday we will be casting the Kiddo off into the great abyss of nursery school for the first time, thereby ending a blissful period of our lives that extended from August 2009 - January 2011. The emotion that I felt when I realized this was going to well and truly be *over* is what made me realize that it has really been a meaningful time of my life. And thus, I write about it:
When i usually think about my job, it makes me feel really lame and uninspired. That's largely because although I like my chosen carreer, it has unfortunately resulted in a generally desk-oriented job that involves lots of report writing and management and other non-interesting day to day blaaaah-dom. However, there is a huge difference between drawing one's lot as an environmental consultant, and drawing one's lot as a BUSINESS OWNER. The former does have its drawbacks, but the latter does have serious perks, which I need to be more appreciative of on a day-to-day basis. Such as making up your own vacation time rules. And setting your own hours. And as is the case in this post... giving yourself the luxury of alternating work-from-home days with your spouse, so you can watch your baby become a toddler.
Don't get me wrong, I think I would slide into a deep depression if I ever becamse a stay-at-home-mom. But the 50/50 split with work and with the husbanator has been a godsend. I still feel like I live in the adult world, but at the same time 2 or 3 days a week I get to take a break from whatever I'm working on and read a book with the LJJ or teach her a new word or sign or how to use the potty, etc. As opposed to just.... keep working...
It's been a benefit to all of us. I get to enjoy studying the way my kid works/behaves/plays and thus feel like I know her better. The Mr. gets to do the same, thus not feeling the typical out-of-balance mom/dad knowledge of exactly what makes the little person tick. LJJ gets to form the exact same bonds with both of us such that she gets the exact same amount of 1-on-1 time with her ma and pa. For example, on any given day, she doesn't KNOW for sure if she's going to get woken up in the morning and get fed breakfast by one of us or the other. It's all surprise potluck from day to day. And she knows she has to behave the same way for both of us because there's no "fun time daddy" or "hard ass mommy" role in her life who comes in at 6pm and takes off again in the morning.... since she has to live with both of us on her back every day. It has also taught her how to be independant and a good self-entertainer and non-clingy (for the most part) since while we're working at home, we still actually have to GET THE WORK DONE, and sometimes yeah, she's left to hang out wither herself or the dogs for a couple hours at a time. I think it's made her a better person, more patient, and value her real quality time with us even more. Honestly the only downside to the arrangement that I could really come up with, in writing and thinking about this, is the fact that I do often miss being in the office with The Mr., together. But that will be back in my life soon enough.
In the meantime I'm just taking the time to be grateful for this one thing that my "boring old stupid job" has given me over the last year and a half. OK, not every day is parent & child bliss... she still cuts teeth and has bad days and drives us insane on those days when she just can't cope and we just have to get some bloody work/study/business done. But largely the whole experience has been special and has meant a lot to me in terms of teaching & enforcing the life skills we as parents have been able to give the kid. For instance, it really helped during the days we were going through sleep training & schedule setting, it really made all the difference while we were teaching her how to sign for the things she wanted to say as a baby, it let us do the things that just leaving her with the maids (our other options) wouldn't have agreed with due to cultural differences and therefore never would've put time into (like teaching her how to cuddle & kiss the dogs... actually eating dirt and rocks to find out they don't actually taste good, understanding that IT'S NOT ALWAYS ALL ABOUT YOU and how to wait for things rather than scream for them, you don't get picked up every time you cry.... etc.) it allowed us to have consistancy and perservere on another of the endless "projects" we wanted to carry out during her first year(s).
So anyway, now that it's coming to an end (ok granted she'll only be away for 1/2 days for the first couple years, so we'll still have afternoons together, albeit largely nap-dominated afternoons at the beginning, I suspect) I thought I would pay homage to this opportunity that I was afforded, and acknowledge that it was very meaningful to me. And I know The Mr. feels the same way, and hopefully someday LJJ will also realize it contributed at least a little something to the kid she becomes. But mostly what it MEANS is that is that I have had a really nice experience doing this since mid-2009, that I am a better person/parent for it & ultimately I have been very lucky to have been able to do it like this.
Having the opportunity to work from home every other day over the last year and a half.
OK, so this new blogging strategy to write about only meaningful things this year was difficult to kick-start. Ever since I made the decision to do it, I find myself thinking all day each day "so what exactly is going to be worthy of "meaningful entry No. 1"? Is it this? Is it that? Is this good enough? Is that really what I meant by the word 'meaningful'?" It was hard.
Then I realized this week that Thursday we will be casting the Kiddo off into the great abyss of nursery school for the first time, thereby ending a blissful period of our lives that extended from August 2009 - January 2011. The emotion that I felt when I realized this was going to well and truly be *over* is what made me realize that it has really been a meaningful time of my life. And thus, I write about it:
When i usually think about my job, it makes me feel really lame and uninspired. That's largely because although I like my chosen carreer, it has unfortunately resulted in a generally desk-oriented job that involves lots of report writing and management and other non-interesting day to day blaaaah-dom. However, there is a huge difference between drawing one's lot as an environmental consultant, and drawing one's lot as a BUSINESS OWNER. The former does have its drawbacks, but the latter does have serious perks, which I need to be more appreciative of on a day-to-day basis. Such as making up your own vacation time rules. And setting your own hours. And as is the case in this post... giving yourself the luxury of alternating work-from-home days with your spouse, so you can watch your baby become a toddler.
Don't get me wrong, I think I would slide into a deep depression if I ever becamse a stay-at-home-mom. But the 50/50 split with work and with the husbanator has been a godsend. I still feel like I live in the adult world, but at the same time 2 or 3 days a week I get to take a break from whatever I'm working on and read a book with the LJJ or teach her a new word or sign or how to use the potty, etc. As opposed to just.... keep working...
It's been a benefit to all of us. I get to enjoy studying the way my kid works/behaves/plays and thus feel like I know her better. The Mr. gets to do the same, thus not feeling the typical out-of-balance mom/dad knowledge of exactly what makes the little person tick. LJJ gets to form the exact same bonds with both of us such that she gets the exact same amount of 1-on-1 time with her ma and pa. For example, on any given day, she doesn't KNOW for sure if she's going to get woken up in the morning and get fed breakfast by one of us or the other. It's all surprise potluck from day to day. And she knows she has to behave the same way for both of us because there's no "fun time daddy" or "hard ass mommy" role in her life who comes in at 6pm and takes off again in the morning.... since she has to live with both of us on her back every day. It has also taught her how to be independant and a good self-entertainer and non-clingy (for the most part) since while we're working at home, we still actually have to GET THE WORK DONE, and sometimes yeah, she's left to hang out wither herself or the dogs for a couple hours at a time. I think it's made her a better person, more patient, and value her real quality time with us even more. Honestly the only downside to the arrangement that I could really come up with, in writing and thinking about this, is the fact that I do often miss being in the office with The Mr., together. But that will be back in my life soon enough.
In the meantime I'm just taking the time to be grateful for this one thing that my "boring old stupid job" has given me over the last year and a half. OK, not every day is parent & child bliss... she still cuts teeth and has bad days and drives us insane on those days when she just can't cope and we just have to get some bloody work/study/business done. But largely the whole experience has been special and has meant a lot to me in terms of teaching & enforcing the life skills we as parents have been able to give the kid. For instance, it really helped during the days we were going through sleep training & schedule setting, it really made all the difference while we were teaching her how to sign for the things she wanted to say as a baby, it let us do the things that just leaving her with the maids (our other options) wouldn't have agreed with due to cultural differences and therefore never would've put time into (like teaching her how to cuddle & kiss the dogs... actually eating dirt and rocks to find out they don't actually taste good, understanding that IT'S NOT ALWAYS ALL ABOUT YOU and how to wait for things rather than scream for them, you don't get picked up every time you cry.... etc.) it allowed us to have consistancy and perservere on another of the endless "projects" we wanted to carry out during her first year(s).
So anyway, now that it's coming to an end (ok granted she'll only be away for 1/2 days for the first couple years, so we'll still have afternoons together, albeit largely nap-dominated afternoons at the beginning, I suspect) I thought I would pay homage to this opportunity that I was afforded, and acknowledge that it was very meaningful to me. And I know The Mr. feels the same way, and hopefully someday LJJ will also realize it contributed at least a little something to the kid she becomes. But mostly what it MEANS is that is that I have had a really nice experience doing this since mid-2009, that I am a better person/parent for it & ultimately I have been very lucky to have been able to do it like this.
Labels: Meaningful, The Kid Files
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