Forget the mommy wars. Stop debating whether going back to work or staying at home is better. In fact, don’t compare yourself to anyone else at all. Remember how I said we’re all on the same team? All parents are multitaskers, whether you’re juggling work and parenting or just juggling the never-ending piles of laundry. We are all trying to do our best when there is always more to be done.
I certainly don’t know everything there is to know about parenting. Most of the time, I’m really just making it up as I go along. (Shh… Don’t tell my kids.)
I recently had the opportunity to tell a little bit of my story in an upcoming book called Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Multitasking Mom’s Survival Guide: 101 Inspiring and Amusing Stories for Mothers Who Do It All.
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My multitasking mom story
Like you, I have good days and bad. That goes for both my job as a writer and my job as a parent. (And also my job as a wizard, but that’s a different story.) People always ask me what I like best about working from home as a writer. I always tell them that it is the ability to work at any time and in any place. Nobody ever asks me what I like least about working from home. It’s the same – working at any time and in any place.
Just like any other job, I have a to-do list and deadlines. Right now I am enjoying the luxury of typing this blog post while both kids are at school. It is super quiet in my house, except for the street noises outside. I’ll go and wash some dishes before lunch. I also have a story for the newspaper due next week that I need to work on later.
Most of the time I can work while the kids are at school. Sometimes I keep working when they get home, but I stop here and there to help with homework. (Or more likely, negotiate a LEGO fight.) Every now and then though, I have to decide between work and play. That’s what my story in The Multitasking Mom’s Survival Guide is about.
I’ve worked outside of the home in the past and had times when I was unemployed. I even went to school after my kids were born. I like my current routine best, but I made the others work too. Sometimes working from home means you have to make sacrifices too.
I’m not giving away any spoilers; you’ll have to read the book to find out what happens. I will tell you this: parents who work outside of the home face challenges. Parents who work at home face challenges. And parents who don’t work at all, but rather spend all day with kids, face challenges.
The Multitasking Mom’s Survival Guide
Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Multitasking Mom’s Survival Guide: 101 Inspiring and Amusing Stories for Mothers Who Do It All will be available starting March 18th, 2014. My story and 100 others tell the happy, sad, stressful, and humorous truth about being a parent.
The book can be purchased in paperback or Kindle and will be sold at bookstores nationwide. You can purchase it now on Bookshop.org, Amazon.com, or Barnes & Noble.
I hope you enjoy my story and the words of wisdom from all the other contributors. Do you have a story about multitasking?
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