Image by db_oblikovanje from Pixabay
by Kelli Bowen
What’s it like trying to work at home full-time while your children are also home full-time? Let me give you a glimpse. For more color in the following stories, I will refer to Miss A, the 4 year-old, as “the intern.” Miss E, who’s 8, is “my personal assistant,” and my three dogs are “board members.” Join me for some highlights of my work-from-home life won’t you??
Every morning after the youngest board member has breakfast, she feels the need to either sit on the couch directly behind me, staring at me and sighing loudly or decides to very audibly clean herself. I usually hope for the former.
The intern and my personal assistant are in cahoots and will call me to another room; then my PA asks if I’m on break as the intern latches onto my leg and sits on my foot with a death lock, while my personal assistant begs me to quit my job.
My personal assistant felt the need to stalk my office an entire day so she could burst in and show off her new baby chicks every time she thought I was on a video call.
On one video conference call, my office door burst open and in comes the intern riding on top of my personal assistant’s shoulders. My coworker on the other line gasped “Oh My God” as the intern and my PA were both giggling, laughing, and then fell onto the couch.
My coworkers have been treated to seeing my personal assistant dressed as the joker, wearing bunny ears or antlers and the intern dressed as Batgirl for no reason. My personal assistant wears various festive headbands in hopes to catch me on a Skype call while the intern has reserved herself to sparkly tutus.
My personal assistant has been pulled out from under the desk sobbing about e-learning a few times.
The intern is always demanding ‘nacks and ‘nuggles.
The older board member just comes in for an occasional head scratch and to stink up my air.
The intern started three days in a row by screaming my name from the other end of the house and demanding I help dress her.
During a video call, the intern came in and stood just out of frame whispering for a pickle. I told her to give me 2 minutes. Then she stepped into frame and a little louder demanded a pickle. I told her I needed to finish the call, then I could help her. That turned into the intern falling on the floor into a screaming pile demanding a pickle and going into a full-fledged tantrum. I told my supervisor, I’d have to call him back.
My personal assistant likes to slowly walk into my office and lurk in the background of a video call until my coworker acknowledges her.
The intern and my personal assistant make me artwork and motivational sayings for my office.
I’ve gotta say, I miss the adult interaction, but my current office is very exciting! What we are doing now has never been done before and there’s a chance that this won’t happen again. Take positivity from what you can, enjoy yourself, build some memories, find the silver-linings, and for crying out loud: keep the pickles handy!
Kelli makes her home in rural Cass County with her husband, two daughters (8 and 4), three dogs, and random poultry. She works for a regional seed company by day and tries to be an alright mom, wife, friend and writer by night.