On the first day of kindergarten, my 5-year-old daughter asked me to be at the front of the line to pick her up from school. I would do that to her, she promised. Because I love her. And that’s what she asked me to do. And you can.
when i started work copywriting business In 2017, I made a strong and conscious decision that I wanted to work. and Please be present for my children. Look, my husband and I have Although working was not really an option for me as I worked hard to provide the life I wanted for my family. how It was.
Any parent or caregiver of pick-up lines knows that pick-up lines involve politics. in my case i have to quit my office By 2:20pm each day, be in the first vehicle for the 3:10pm dismissal. That means work, training, and appointments have to fit within six hours.
It’s not easy. Will work nights and weekends as needed. At times, I have had generations of wealth (though my family has given me a work ethic and I have experienced some privilege), built a beautiful home, and managed to manage my finances. I sometimes wonder what it would be like if I didn’t feel the pressure of building a financially stable life. career. At the beginning of this year, I launched another business You should be busy with several things to publish your creative projects, so why are you busy with just a few things?
But just the other day, as I was driving my kids home from school (from the front of the line, of course) and they were waxing poetic about getting on the school bus, I He said he took the school bus to nursery school. 5th grade. I told my parents, who worked for the government in Olympia, where I grew up, that they couldn’t just quit their jobs and come get me. The world didn’t work that way back then.
I told my kids that from fifth grade through middle school, they would ride the bus home and play on their own until their parents got home from work. I told them I was going to open a bag of popcorn myself and stay calm. rosie odonnell show and Oprah—Both were watched in real time. Comes with commercial!
“Were you alone?” asked my 7-year-old son.
“Yes,” I said. “I had pets and popcorn.”
And I reminded them that I love picking them up. I love hearing about gossip on the playground, how many times we met and hugged at recess, and the most interesting thing we learned that day.
There are a lot of things about my mom that I don’t get along with. I’m impatient. I can be selfish. I don’t often take control of dinner. I don’t change cushions or door wreaths for different holidays. We probably arranged two playdates.
But my kids know that I will always show up for them, that I will reach out to them even when I can’t, and that I will take them wherever I can. They know I’ll buy them a book whenever I want them, sing with the windows down, and look for sea glass on the beach.
They know I work hard. They witness it every day.
And they know I’ll be at the front of the school pick-up line with open arms, eager to hear their stories about their day. I’ll go back to my paying job later.
— Written by Whitney Popa
Whitney Popa is a writer and communications consultant in Edmonds, and Emilie Given is the owner of a virtual assistant agency in Lynwood. They co-write this column to share their work-from-home ideas. They love where they live and are grateful that the virtual world allows them to better balance work and life. They also co-host a weekly podcast where they share their own entrepreneurial journeys while learning about the entrepreneurial journeys of others. You can learn more about Emily here and Whitney here.