Perks

I can often be found complaining about how much I hate being a work outside the home mom. And I often go on and on about how much better a parent I’d be if I were at home instead of in the workforce.

But I have to take a moment and admit that as far as working parents go, I have it pretty good. I have a very flexible boss who grants vacations pretty much without question.

I have a flexible vacation policy so I can take a day here and another day there. I also have sick/personal time that I can use if I only want/need to be away for a couple of hours.

All this is to say that tomorrow I get to go to my girls’ school Halloween parties. I’m just attending Olivia’s but I’m helping out at Alyssa’s.

I love doing things like this. I love seeing the girls in their school world, a world that doesn’t usually involve me. I love seeing them with their peers and their teachers.

And I love that, at least for now, they both still like having me around. I want to take advantage of this for as long as it lasts. It’s a little like the whole rocking thing. I know they aren’t going to want me to rock them to sleep forever and so I want to enjoy it while it lasts.

So on those mornings when I’m dragging my butt out of bed after too little sleep that held too many interruptions (really, Olivia? What’s up with the three and four waking a night these last few nights?) I try and remind myself that if I have to be a working mom, I’m lucky to work where I do so I can do things like Halloween parties and Christmas parties and Valentine’s Day parties, things that some moms just can’t do because of the nature of their jobs.

I’m absolutely one of the lucky ones, even on those days when I’m growly and snarly because I’m tired and don’t wanna go to work.