The hardest part

The hardest part of working from home when you have a young child who is home a good portion of the time? Saying no.

I’m home working while he’s eating breakfast today. School is closed, so he’s home. I’ve already multi-tasked while listening in on a conference call and making him breakfast. Guess which task suffered?

He’s chattering away sweetly while I’m slicing strawberries. He’s asking me if we are going to the park today. No, I reply. I’m not. You will go. Mama is working today.

He pops his sweet little head in to my office to see if I’m ready to brush teeth together. No, I say. I can’t. Mama is working today.

No is the hardest part. Knowing the sad face I will see in response. Recently, he told Hubster that it’s confusing for him when I work from home and he’s home. My little parrot. This is something he’s overheard me telling Hubster.

It’s challenging for him to understand that I’m here, yet not available to him.  If our home was big, perhaps I’d disappear into a different wing of the house. That’s not how it goes for us. Fortunately, he rebounds quickly enough.

This is another one of my challenges in managing family and career priorities.