My husband told me something a long time ago about the glass ceiling. I was complaining about something I saw on the news that could have been perceived as discriminatory against a female executive & I told him how unfair it was.
He said, "Perhaps, but there are legitimate things that hold women back & the biggest reason is growing right now in your belly."
So true. I hate to admit it, but so true. Today, as on any given day, I can give several examples.
I work from home & my husband takes my son to preschool. But I have to get him up, get him fed, help him get his teeth brushed, help him get dressed, help him get all of his necessary shit together.
My husband gets ready & watches the news & feeds himself.
Quite true that a lot of the time I don't have to leave my house to go to work so if I don't get out of my pajamas until 10am it's ok. But I'm not sure the distribution of labor would be any different if I did work out of our home.
I start work at 7-7:30am, which means my boss & customers will begin calling by then & sometimes even earlier. This morning my son had his shirt on backward, his socks on wrong & his shoes weren't even untied yet alone on. My husband was almost ready & my boss called. I kept getting the kid dressed, turned his shirt around, untied & tied his shoes, kissed the top of his head & slipped into the office all while my boss was discussing marketing strategies & asking if I'd opened the e-mail he sent me just seconds before.
Sigh...
I got my work done this morning, I did some household errands, got more work done this afternoon, picked my son up at preschool, I came home. I took several more work calls & met several deadlines, had a lot left I could have done, but instead I spent an hour playing Mancala with my son.
He won.
Occasionally I have to explain to my boss that I have to get off the phone or switch to my cell because I have to pick my kid up by 2:30pm. He understands.
Sort of.
He knows I'm a Mom but he doesn't want to know about it. He treats me like an equal, like a confidant, like a strategizing partner. I love that. He has a lot invested in me, he has high expectations & I'm an exceptional earner. We both love that.
But I am a Mom. He has two kids & he's a Dad.
But it's different.
That baby growing in my belly really did change everything.
This is great, and so true! As a work from home mom, I know how this goes. Motherhood really does stretch you. First your belly, then your entire life. Would you have thought ten years ago that you could have taken care of a squirming child while calmly having a conversation with a boss or client who would never know? I think I'll pass on the video phone concept! Great post, I enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteJulie Marsh