You know when you fill out surveys and they ask about your employment? And there’s a bunch of options like Work Full Time, Work Part Time, Freelance, Work from Home, Stay at Home Parent, Unemployed, etc. Of late, I have been more likely to check the Work from Home box.
It’s not just the blog. It’s the book site, which is taking more time than I initially expected. And now it’s the Blog Transfer service I’ve started with a little help from E. It’s enough now that I’m going to haul my little self and a large stroller down to City Hall and file a Business Certificate.
And yet, the Working from Home thing only partially captures it.
I’ve never liked the divisions of Working Mom/Stay at Home Mom. When I was a WM I envied SAHMs. When I was a SAHM I envied WMs. And now I find myself planted somewhere in the middle. In many ways it’s the best of both worlds. I see my kids more than I did when I was working. But I also have to work a lot with my kids around, which is less than ideal.
Yesterday Graham was home sick from school. In that situation, everyone is going to have the same day. You’re stuck at home with your kid and not much ability to do anything else, no matter whether you work and no matter where you work. It’s just how it goes. Same with appointments and carpools and dropoffs and all that stuff.
Being in this weird middle ground (neither SAHM nor WOHM but a… um… SWAHM–I’m working on a new label) is, nonetheless, a pretty sweet deal. At least it can be as long as you have a child who naps. Which is exactly why I can write this post at the moment.
At least in my little blog bubble it seems there are more and more of us moving in this direction. Working moms who try to telecommute a few days a week. Stay-at-home moms who are finding a job to pick up on the side. And I guess it’s not really that surprising given that we are the Having-it-all! generation.
But one thing is sorely needed. A new acronym. As I mentioned above, SWAHM is not doing it. I tried to see if I could turn it into SWAMP just because that would be cool but I haven’t found a set of words that work. I’ve been brainstorming, but so far I’ve come up blank. The best I’ve got is PWNS: Person Who Never Sleeps. Because it’s true.
Other ideas:
PWSTMTOSM: Person Who Spends Too Much Time On Social Media.
SADWCAC: Spends All Day With Children And Computer.
PMT: Professional Multi-Tasker
MKTIMO: My Kitchen Table Is My Office
See what I mean? A better acronym is sorely needed.
Crowdsourcing time!
Any other SWAHMs out there? (SWAHDs also welcome. I am trying to make the acronym gender-neutral.)
Any other brilliant acronyms?
I know what you mean! I’m only able to leave this comment because one is content with a bottle and one is taking a nap. It is a constant juggle. More so than either category because you have the issues from both. So I’m going with TMTCJWAM: The Mom That Constantly Juggles Work and Momhood.
Love that we can battle through it together.
First – I’ve missed a bunch of your posts! Bad me!
Second – when I was pregnant w/ my son, I had planned to work half of my full-time schedule from home while he was conscious. I quickly learned that was not possible. So I stayed up late a lot & was always tired – but it was worth it. Recently, situations changed & I was forced into going back into the office full time. Sucks. I think the middle ground is the best way to go, if anyone could. You get a break from any stress at home (as long as your office isn’t stressing you out) and then you get a break from being in a boring office & can go for walks outside with your kids & be there for their therapy appointments. But I don’t have an acronym. I’ll work on that.
I was a freelance book editor when I had my second child, a SWAHM. Your post made me think that you should call yourself a “swahmi” (swami). Yes, you’ve renounced certain aspects of the working world to lead a kind of monastic existence. I think it fits!
Being a “swahmi” worked well for me for the time I had infants and toddlers and elderly parents. The flexibility was helpful. I did go back to work later, first as an adjunct and then a full-time professor. I’m no longer a swahmi, at least in that sense, I suppose.
I’ll add our latest incarnation:
SSUCKS (spouses suffering under conflicting kid schedules)
That’s due to be resolved in the new year, fortunately!