Happy Full Time Work from Home Mom? Guilty

As a Full Time Work from Home Mom (FTWFHM), some might think I’ve got it made, especially those moms that work from an office each day. I certainly won’t complain that I get to spend the majority of the day in my workout clothes while doing household chores in between conference calls and content development. Yep, that’s definitely a bonus (even if the other moms at the daycare likely think I’m a personal trainer!).

However, travel has always been a part of my career. That didn’t change when I was pregnant or after I had my kids. When work took me away from my kids for any length of time I went through the expected array of reactions: sadness, anxiety, worry, and guilt. I’m the mom! I’m supposed to be home with my kids.

And then, the more I traveled, the more my guilt shifted. Instead of feeling guilty about not being home, I now have guilt about enjoying my trips away. Sure, I miss my kids and feel for my hubby as he manages our two toddlers without support; but goodness, is it ever nice to have absolutely nothing to do and no one to manage. Bliss! Absolute bliss!

And that bliss is the source of my guilt. I have no guilt about not being home with my family. They are just fine; Mr. Mom has it covered and he’s likely managing better than I do when I’m home. And that makes it even easier to enjoy my time away.

Ironically, I share this without guilt because I think most parents who get a break from their 24/7 job feel like I do. Although, I bet many parents might not admit it for fear of being seen as selfish, un-nurturing parents. Bollocks! After my mini-guilt trip I am re-energized and ever more capable of keeping all those wheels spinning. And my kids never forget me and my hubby has no problems managing. Then when we’re back as a family, we are much more in tune and quite simply, happier.

Besides, these trips give me an opportunity to reengage in the real world; to interact with other working mothers and to truly appreciate my situation. For a short time I have to restructure my routine: early morning workouts and dressed and dolled up pre-commute to the office. And yet, I don’t have to manage the kiddos on top of everything else like these rock star moms do.

Thanks to being a Full Time Work from Home Mom (FTWFHM) I get a career without the wardrobe/beautification/commute expectations while managing my kids each morning. And yet, even though I’m at home all day, I still can’t manage to get all the dishes cleaned, laundry done and dinner on the table every night. Luckily, I have zero guilt about that too.