The 'Perks' of Working from Home with Two Young Kids: Staying Positive in the Face of Covid-19
Ah, the privilege of working in solitude, with zero distractions (except for the social media and video-sharing platform icons displayed temptingly on the navigation bar), and boosted by speedy internet connection.
How I miss it dearly! What a privilege working from anywhere with such a peaceful isolation.
But here's what I got:
When I just got a super clever idea for a revision of my journal article, and my hands and my mind tried to concentrate on coordinating so that the idea got transferred into writing . . . my son came and slapped me with a question, "Ambu, do worms change their skin because they are getting older?"
"What????????????"
I had no idea of what he was talking about.
That's not the kind of question that I could simply answer 'yes' or 'no' because I needed to have scientific justification. I definitely needed some time to think about the answer.
And then... I FORGOT what I was trying to type in. Oh, NO! My super clever and bright idea for revision just disappeared. BOOM! Although it was only one sentence, YES, just one sentence, it's like a gem in the vast ocean. And now, I lost it!
When I had gathered my scattered concentration to start reading and writing again, my daughter came and begged me for some cake, "Ambu, I want cake, please."
Grrrrhhh...
The distractions kept piling on top of the household chores waving at me from all corners of the house: The dirty dishes, the dry laundry, the dusty carpets. Oh, bugger!
Covid-19 case has made me now a complete housewife, with three part-time jobs of a PhD student, research assistant, and translator.
I am now a full time mom.
Okay, shout out to the full time moms out there! You've done incredible jobs, especially if you have no assistance from a maid, or a nanny, or a relative.
If I keep complaining, my complaints will create an endless chain of wreckage, which is another way of saying there's no point in complaining.
Okay, I will let the positive side of me take control now.
I am grateful for having my two kids safely at home with me, the person they know the most, they love the most, (and perhaps they hate the most when they are not allowed to do anything :D).
I am grateful for having the comfort of a home with a heater and everything I need.
I am grateful for having a pantry full of food, enough to feed us for the rest of the week--till we do that grocery shopping again! I do not dread grocery shopping. In fact, it's a great me-time for me, though for sure I hate the walking back home carrying heavy bags of groceries.
I am grateful for being able to work from home despite all the distractions, despite the fact that in the 16 hours of waking time that I have in one single day, I could probably only work effectively for a very small fraction of it, 30 minutes at most!
I am grateful for being able to keep my scholarships and for my husband to keep his job, knowing that many people lost their jobs and opportunities to study.
I am grateful for the health God has given me. My nose does still make funny reactions to cold and dust or strong sunlight, but that's it. My immune is still strong that I to this date am still alive and well.
Now I realize that I have too many to be grateful for and too little to complain.
Okay, now I need to go back to my PhD time. Fingers crossed the kids can be kept entertained with their 'job' of experimenting with all objects in the house, learning about their environment, exploring their surroundings, gaining the best education at home, a.k.a., creating a bunch of mess all over the room.
How I miss it dearly! What a privilege working from anywhere with such a peaceful isolation.
But here's what I got:
When I just got a super clever idea for a revision of my journal article, and my hands and my mind tried to concentrate on coordinating so that the idea got transferred into writing . . . my son came and slapped me with a question, "Ambu, do worms change their skin because they are getting older?"
"What????????????"
I had no idea of what he was talking about.
That's not the kind of question that I could simply answer 'yes' or 'no' because I needed to have scientific justification. I definitely needed some time to think about the answer.
And then... I FORGOT what I was trying to type in. Oh, NO! My super clever and bright idea for revision just disappeared. BOOM! Although it was only one sentence, YES, just one sentence, it's like a gem in the vast ocean. And now, I lost it!
When I had gathered my scattered concentration to start reading and writing again, my daughter came and begged me for some cake, "Ambu, I want cake, please."
Grrrrhhh...
The distractions kept piling on top of the household chores waving at me from all corners of the house: The dirty dishes, the dry laundry, the dusty carpets. Oh, bugger!
Covid-19 case has made me now a complete housewife, with three part-time jobs of a PhD student, research assistant, and translator.
I am now a full time mom.
Okay, shout out to the full time moms out there! You've done incredible jobs, especially if you have no assistance from a maid, or a nanny, or a relative.
If I keep complaining, my complaints will create an endless chain of wreckage, which is another way of saying there's no point in complaining.
Okay, I will let the positive side of me take control now.
I am grateful for having my two kids safely at home with me, the person they know the most, they love the most, (and perhaps they hate the most when they are not allowed to do anything :D).
I am grateful for having the comfort of a home with a heater and everything I need.
I am grateful for having a pantry full of food, enough to feed us for the rest of the week--till we do that grocery shopping again! I do not dread grocery shopping. In fact, it's a great me-time for me, though for sure I hate the walking back home carrying heavy bags of groceries.
I am grateful for being able to work from home despite all the distractions, despite the fact that in the 16 hours of waking time that I have in one single day, I could probably only work effectively for a very small fraction of it, 30 minutes at most!
I am grateful for being able to keep my scholarships and for my husband to keep his job, knowing that many people lost their jobs and opportunities to study.
I am grateful for the health God has given me. My nose does still make funny reactions to cold and dust or strong sunlight, but that's it. My immune is still strong that I to this date am still alive and well.
Now I realize that I have too many to be grateful for and too little to complain.
Okay, now I need to go back to my PhD time. Fingers crossed the kids can be kept entertained with their 'job' of experimenting with all objects in the house, learning about their environment, exploring their surroundings, gaining the best education at home, a.k.a., creating a bunch of mess all over the room.
Tasmania, 8 April 2020
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