Work Wednesday
It was almost too much to resist. Sarah Palin's rambling resignation and Twitter farewell last weekend seemed to call for one more comment. I thought I'd do just one last Palin piece.
But I'm not gonna do it. No way! I'm not going to waste precious time and resources,CurrentMom.com readers! Instead, I'll fight the urge. For your future! And mine.
Seriously, there have been more than enough articles, interviews, and opinion pieces - not to mention comedic send-ups (check out Conan O'Brien's latest) - about Alaska's now-former governor and her speeches. (Vanity Fair's "red pencil" parody, though, was ink well-spilled.)
So, at the 11th hour, with no subject in my sights, I'm doing what all moms do every day: I'm making it up as I go along.
I did have lots of ambitious ideas, which I won't share with you now. None of them panned out, but I may revisit them someday. (Someday when I don't lose my son's shoes, leave my daughter's swimsuit at home, and twice lose my work ID.)
The one thought that survived this evening is the observation that I've never written about work itself for CurrentMom's "Work Wednesday" feature. Work. The nitty-gritty details of what I do, how I do it, what all those meetings are really about, and so on.
Now, there are some good reasons for that.
First - I want to keep my job.
Second, it's all top secret. Well, not really, but I do have professional and ethical obligations. Not to mention a whole raft of rules and regulations. And the possibility of criminal sanctions.
Third, it would be way too boring.
Still, I have to write something. So, to make it entertaining for you, I decided to ask my kids to describe what I do all day at work. And what Daddy does too.
CAUTION: This is only for the parental audience. No other demographic group will find this amusing.
Inspired by Studs Terkel's fascinating (and inspiring) Working, I decided that the best way to approach this task would be to interview my children and let them tell you "in their own words" what Mommy and Daddy do all day.
In response to my first question, "What does Mommy do?," my son declared that Mommy is "a teacher." Not true. (But aren't all parents - shouldn't we all be - teachers of a kind?)
My daughter got it right. Mommy and Daddy are lawyers!
Still, what do we do? (It's tricky when your job - consumer protection attorney - doesn't resonate the way "ballerina" or "zookeeper" might.)
According to my son, Mommy "does coffee, eats lunch, and reads books." (My ideal day!) I also visit him at lunchtime and I do not take naps. Daddy does not take naps at work either. We both use the potty all day! ( I am sparing you his exact words.)
My daughter had deeper understanding of our careers. We work a lot on the computer, talk all the time on the telephone, go to meetings, eat lunch, etc. But she also explained that we "try to stop people from doing lies" to other people. And she even gave an example involving people who tell you that certain foods are healthy and nutritious even if they're not!
Other friends and colleagues with small children (at least those I surveyed via email and Facebook) reported observations by their offspring that matched my kids' thoughts. Lots of parents going to meetings, talking to "peoples," and playing/working with the accoutrements of modern life - computers, phones, Blackberrys, and even shredders. One or two amusing anecdotes about kids who said their moms shopped or slept all day - while at work! Unfortunately, I didn't hear from any astronauts, doctors, firefighters, or train engineers so the descriptions were a little amorphous.
What do our kids' perceptions tell us? Probably not much. As the the nature of modern work becomes more abstract, it's hard to articulate to other adults - much less preschoolers - what it is that we do all day and why it matters. My daughter's takeaway, though, makes me think that it is important to convey to her what about work adds meaning and value to my life. In a clear and age-appropriate way, of course. Now, if I just had Sarah Palin's way with words . . . .
This post is hysterical. And you reminded me that I forgot (for the third day in a row) to bring in my daughter's towel for water play at daycare.
Posted by: Katherine | Wednesday, July 29, 2009 at 11:10 AM
This is so sweet! My little guy is too young to answer the question but imagining what he'll some day say puts a smile on my face :)
Posted by: ManhattanMom | Wednesday, July 29, 2009 at 11:46 AM
Yesterday I was labeled a "homeworker", kind of a cross between a homemaker (yikes!) and work-at-home-mom. So glad she didn't say homewrecker. . .
Posted by: Vintage Mommy | Wednesday, July 29, 2009 at 02:31 PM
Great post.
Meetings. My daughter would definitely say "Meeeetings"
Posted by: Justice Fergie | Wednesday, July 29, 2009 at 02:36 PM
Great post! I laughed out loud at "does coffee, eats lunch, and reads books." Not that far from the truth really, just replace books with "emails, memos and policy papers."
Posted by: Yael Weinman | Wednesday, July 29, 2009 at 04:01 PM
You are an awesome mom and lawyer, I can tell! And your great story reminds me of the time when I was headed out on another business trip and somehow the conversation turned to the reason for the trip and my 8 year old (at the time) oldest of three daughters said - after hearing the reason,said "Oh...I thought...well, I thought you were just taking a trip for fun - just for you when you went on an airplane and called us from the hotel room! sorta like a vacation!"...LOL, I mean really, that would be one empowered Momma, don't ya think?? -- "Had enough of you guys, see ya after a few days in Marietta, Ohio!" (not that there's anything wrong with Marietta, Ohio!)
Cheers!
Nicoa (Proud Stay at Work Momma of Three!)
Posted by: Nicoa Dunne | Wednesday, July 29, 2009 at 04:27 PM
thanks for sharing!! great post!
Posted by: Kathy Niesen | Wednesday, July 29, 2009 at 06:45 PM
Oh, you remind me.. Water play! Agghh! I love that they do it, but I DIDN'T KNOW. How would I know?
Kid moved to the toddler room, and on his second day they just happen to mention: "Oh, he needs a swimsuit for water play tomorrow." Ohhhh-kay... rush around.. where to find a toddler swimsuit in a hurry? Don't they know I order everything online??
Posted by: Lyn | Thursday, July 30, 2009 at 11:11 AM
Thanks for all these comments! Nicoa, I love your "vacation" story. Although sometimes work trips can be mini-vacations. (I blogged on this in April). And sometimes they can be hell!
Lynn, Just use a swim diaper. Or just send an extra pair of shorts. Who really cares whether it's a bathing suit or not?
As for the truth, yes, meetings, more meetings, emails, more emails, memos, policy papers, briefs, newsletters, orders . . . and most certainly coffee! Especially if it's a grande iced skim latte from the very convenient Starbucks across the street!
Posted by: Stacy | Thursday, July 30, 2009 at 10:15 PM