Earlier this month, the New York Times ran an article on how "Working from Home with a Spouse in the Next Room" is hard. Which I could have told them myself because I spend every single day on high alert to ensure my husband does not steal my last cup of coffee.
But do you know what's even harder? Working from home with a spouse in the next room and a toddler bouncing back and forth between the two of you.
Most days, when I'm driving to yoga class or zipping out to the supermarket or eating dinner at an acceptable hour, I thank my lucky stars that my husband acquired a job that allows him to work from home. It enables him to take a larger role in the raising of his child, and it gives me time to breathe.
Other days, I want him to get a damn hobby.
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I've pulled together a pro/con list of what it's like to from home with your spouse while also parenting. I'll let you be the judge of what wins out:
- Having your spouse at home allows you greater flexibility to pop out to yoga, grab the occasional lunch with friends, and run errands because you're no longer confined to the house with your child…
… but it also means you can't slack off during the work day (binge watch "Buffy", binge eat s'mores, binge read the latest bestseller) without your spouse knowing.
- Having your spouse at home means it's easier to make time for household chores, as your spouse is likely picking up some of the slack where it comes to watching the kids…
… but it also breeds resentment over all the ways your spouse is not helping. After all, even though dads are doing more housework and child care these days, they're still not doing as much as mom.
- Having your spouse at home means you can all eat dinner together at a normal time because there's no longer a two hour commute to contend with…
… but it also means you have to share that pot of coffee you brew every morning.
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- Having your spouse at home means that when your child is being so needy you can't get a damn thing done, you can pass your child off to your other half…
… but it also means that any work stress you or your spouse experience can easily bleed into the family environment now that neither of you have the buffer of a commute to help you transition back and forth.
- Finally, having your spouse at home means that you get to see your spouse. Which can be cool, especially if you were previously just two ships passing in the night…
… but let's be honest here: how long is it going to take for the two of you to get SOOO SICK OF EACH OTHER?
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