Dearest Work From Home (WFH) moms,
Hi. I’m writing to you from the toilet which, as you probably totally understand, is my office before and after school hours.
I just wanted to tell you that you’re doing a great job.
We work from home moms live in the Neverland between pantyhose and pajamas.
We reside between brushed hair and well, that thing that happens when you put your wet hair into a pony without looking at it in the mirror. You know what I’m talking about.
We’re special, and I wanted to give every WFH mom a fistful of shout-outs. Please allow me to gather my thoughts since someone is shouting through my office door that they just cut their own hair.
- You are a master of the multitask. A multi-taskmaster, if you will. You launder giant, countless loads of laundry in between conference calls, and even though there’s a vague sense of worry that the laundry could overtake you, you always remind that laundry who’s boss. That’s right, you are.
- As a work from home mom, you’ve taken the concept of casual Fridays and not only applied it to the entire week, you’ve pushed the boundaries of “casual” to a whole new level. You get the occasional side eye at school drop-off or even in Target, and you’re fine with it. You own it. You’ve rejected zippers and buttons on pants, and they’ve rejected you.
- You have everything in the crockpot before you get online at 9am, and guess what? You’re even there to turn the pork tenderloin over after four hours.
- If a package needs signing for or a couch needs delivering, you’re always there. No unnecessary trips to the post office to pick up that missed package—not on your watch. You’ll answer the door and have the packaging from said delivery recycled in a matter of moments.
- You can work anywhere and in any situation. On the couch? Of course. At a café? Definitely. Crouched in a corner of your basement because there’s construction outside? Oh, heck yeah. Breastfeeding? Bring it. At a bus station, in a car, on a park bench? LET’S DO THIS.
- Sure, you have to try harder than regular office-goers to have normal conversations in public-facing attire. But on the weekends and at social events, you come with your A-game. Even if it means that afterwards you beeline it for your yoga pants drawer and retreat to your worn-in spot on the couch.
Of course, you’ve quit trying to explain to people (including your own family) that you do, in fact, work.
Just because it’s from home doesn’t mean you can stop what you’re doing and “hang out,” “grab lunch,” or do all the errands. You may be a WFH mom, but that doesn’t mean you’re a do everything and get all your work done mom—you have the same number of hours in a given day as everyone else. But oh, how you make those hours count and most days, those hours are working for you.
So, go forth and pick up those Legos while you email with one hand. There’s nothing you can’t do, mama, and it’s pretty great that you can do it all from home.
XOXO,
A Fellow Work From Home Mom
P.S. Let’s start planning the office Christmas party. Naturally, I’ll be the one in yoga pants.
