My son is a very laid-back kid. Put him in a new environment, change all the plans, take away his favorite toy and he’s still going to be happy and smiling and giggling.
So when he told me, in all seriousness that I need to, in his words, “Stop working so much and play with me more,” I tend to take that seriously. He sits quietly next to me, reading a book or coloring, or playing with his toy cars while I schedule Facebook updates and write articles about parenting. (Yup, I see the irony.)
For him to say that I work too much threw me for a loop. I’ve explained to him and his sister time and time again that Mommy needs to work in order to provide for them. All that tap-tap-tapping on the keyboard equates to money in the bank. And they seemed to get it and everything was fine.
Then I got more clients. And I wasn’t handling my workload as well. And the kids felt it. My daughter was angry when I’d be on the computer instead of tucking her in at night. My son would fuss when I’d have my phone in my hands, checking e-mail while we’re at the park.
They both called me out on my workaholic nature and I knew I had to make some changes.
However, the biggest change will come next week when my son starts preschool. For three days a week, I will have the house to myself from 9 a.m. until 2:45 p.m. It will be great. And I am hoping that by giving myself more time to devote to the business, it will alleviate everyone’s stress. I won’t feel like I have to work at all hours of the day, giving the worst of myself to my kids and the kids won’t feel like I’m never fully “present.” It’s a juggling act, for sure.