This deserves a Fark headline, it really does. "Not News: Working at Home is Durned Tough. Distractions legion. News: It's just woman's work, big deal. Fark: Written by a man."
The NY Times delves into the home life of a work-at-home-father, incidentally a writer. The poooor guy isn't getting anything done, and when his wife comes home from her late-night, high-powered, corporate job asking if he accomplished anything, not only can't he remember, but he can't remember WHY he didn't get anything done. So he begins to make a list of all the things he does instead of working. And it's a mighty long and time consuming list.
And THIS is somehow BIG NEWS?
I mean, work-at-home-mothers handle this stuff in their sleep and still get their work done, don't we? We're not sitting around all day eating bon-bons. Why is this news?
Oh, yeah, right, because it's a MAN doing it. If it was a woman writing this, it would sound whiny--and rightly so. We all know that handling the stupid sh*t is just part of the mother's job. We do what needs to be done, and still do everything else that is expected of us. And we wonder why we cannot keep our houses clean.
(Okay, so DH went away on a business trip 5 minutes after the well ran dry and it took me TWO DAYS fixing the pump to restore water to the house. Yes, I am grumpy! I will officially be grumpy until he is pinned Chief and this hellish indoctrination is over and he can take over his half of the sky.)
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Dejah: Extra! Extra! Mothers WORK!
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4 comments:
WAHAHAHAHA! :D
Reading that is strangely cathartic! Especially the part about how he can't remember what he has done and why it looks like nothing has been done. I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to make a list of everything I did in a day, just to justify my existence.
But now I don't have to! I'll just point to this article.
Maybe it's a good thing, Dej. Let all the men out there who don't already understand get a clue by reading it from a man's perspective.
I'm feeling your pain dej! Feelin' it!
When I work from home, the comment most likely to insight World War III in my house was my husband saying, "What did you do all day?"
Even when he didn't mean it in a derogatory manner, I interpreted it as such and steam rolled.
We both learned to deal, but it took a while. I also learned to find ways to visualize how hard I worked that day. I'll have to post about that tomorrow.
Ah, nothing is important unless men do it. Housework? Unimportant, unless a man does it.
Childcare? Unimportant, unless a man does it.
Cooking/Laundry/all other household chores? Unimportant, unless a man does it.
Too bad men can't "do" PMS, salary inequality, and childbirth. They'd be eradicated two days before yesterday!
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