'Mommy, Are You Done?' Work From Home Mom Shares Son's Heartbreaking Drawing

May mga kuwento ng working moms na sobrang makadurog-puso.

Isa sa mga ito ang ibinahagi ni Priya Amin, na nakatira sa Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, at founder and CEO ng Flexable, isang kumpanya na nagki-create ng innovative childcare solutions, gaya ng virtual childcare.

May partnership din siya sa iba’t ibang organisasyon para magkaloob ng childcare services bilang benefit para sa working parents.

Pagbabahagi niya sa isang article na na-publish last February 3, 2023, nang lumaganap ang pandemya, gumigising siya ng 4:00 a.m. para magtrabaho, ma-homeschool ang dalawang anak sa araw, at makapagtrabahong muli sa gabi.

"I actually looked at it, and it broke my heart."

Ani Priya, "It was a nightmare and not sustainable at all.

"I realized that I couldn't work that way, and neither could my team.

“Flexibility has always been at the core of everything we do at our company, and I wanted to make sure that was a part of our culture so that all the folks—especially working parents on our team—felt supported and seen."

Hanggang maganap ang isang senaryong bumago sa kanyang sitwasyon noong January 2021.

READ: Mom And Dad Use This Genius Idea To Keep Their Daughter Busy When They Work From Home

"Mommy, are you done?"

Ipinakita kay Priya ng kanyang six-year-old son ang drawing nito.

Sasabihan sana niya ito ng kanyang standard reply na, “Oooh, that’s so cute.”

Gayunpaman, nang tingnan niyang mabuti ang sketch, natigilan si Priya.

Na-realize niyang isa iyong paglalarawan ng kanilang sitwasyon sa bahay, kung saan magkatabi lang silang mag-ina habang siya ay nagtatrabaho at ang anak ay nag-aaral.

Habang abala ang ina, nagtanong ang anak, "Mommy, are you done?"

Tila inasahan na ng anak ang magiging sagot ng ina: "No."

"All I wanted to do was close up my laptop and spend time with my kids, but I knew that if I didn't get a few important things done, I wouldn't be able to get my mind off of them.

Sabi ni Priya, "I actually looked at it, and it broke my heart.

"Well, it sorts of warmed and broke my heart at the same time."

READ: 'Be Present In Your Play Time,' And Other Tips To Make WFH Work For You And Your Child

Sitwasyon ni Priya, katulad ng ibang parents

Ipinakita rin ni Priya ang drawing ng anak sa kanyang mga kasamahan.
Hinikayat siya ng mga ito na sumulat ng blog post tungkol sa insidente.

"I chose to share the blog originally via a LinkedIn post because I knew this was something universally felt by parents everywhere right now, and we’re all feeling like we’re shouldering this alone."

Nang mai-publish niya, maraming parents ang naka-relate sa drawing, lalo na ang mga pilit binabalanse ang kanilang personal and professional na buhay simula nang lumaganap ang pandemya.

Agad ding nag-viral ang kanyang post.

“Now I work when my kids are in school but log off when they get home.”

Ani Priya, bagaman at hindi niya inaasahan ang ganoon katinding reactions mula sa netizens, nauunawaan niya kung bakit ang drawing ng kanyang anak ay sobrang pamilyar para sa ibang parents.

"All I wanted to do was close up my laptop and spend time with my kids, but I knew that if I didn't get a few important things done, I wouldn't be able to get my mind off of them.

"I think so many parents feel that way, especially during the pandemic, where work and life have collided with one another, and it's really hard to step away from work.

“My son's drawing was a stark reminder to me about just how hard that is."

READ ALSO: Paano Ang Work From Home Kung May Mga Batang Dapat Alagaan

Maglaan ng sapat na oras sa mga anak

Nagsilbi rin aniyang paalala ang drawing ng kanyang anak, “That I need to do a better job of modeling that behavior to my team.”

Mula noon, binago ni Priya ang kanyang schedule.

“Now I work when my kids are in school but log off when they get home.”

Paalala niya sa ibang parents na kagaya niya ang sitwasyon, “I’d say please be open and honest with your employer and lean on your team and your organization as much as you can to support you.”

READ ALSO: How to Work From Home Without Losing Your Mind

Ramdam ka namin, mommy! Sali na sa Smart Parenting Village, ang aming Facebook group for parents, para may makausap na iba-ibang magulang na makaka-relate sa pinagdadaanan mo.