In the seven years I’ve been a mother, I’ve done both the stay-at-home thing and the work-away-from home thing. While I’ve not had to work full-time, I did get a good look into what many of my friends deal with on a daily basis. It’s frustrating to not be able to do things with your child’s class because you are at work during those hours but what’s even more annoying are stereotypes about working parents. Elizabeth at Career & Kids writes about this:

Sure, there are things I might have to do differently than someone who doesn’t work outside the home, but, everyone is busy, you just do what you have to do, regardless of your employment status. But, despite that, everyone doesn’t always see it that way.

For example, I might not be available a particular day for a field trip because I have to work, but, I could make the next one. Someone else might not be able to go on that same field trip because another child has a doctor’s appointment, yet, I will end up as the “working mother who doesn’t have time to volunteer”, and, the other person will be seen as a volunteer who “just couldn’t make it that day”.

Now that I’m back to the stay-at-home gig, I get the opposite end of the equation. It is pretty much assumed that I will do everything that is asked of me since I stay-at-home and have so much free time on my hands. Silly people. Haven’t they ever heard of blogging?