Being Around My Kids 24/7 Is Making Me an Awful Mother
It’s bringing out the worst in me.
It’s the first Friday of the first week of virtual online school. My 7-year-old is wandering around the house and I’m screaming at her to get back to her desk because school isn’t over.
My bedroom is also my makeshift office and her first-grade classroom. I’m trying to teach her independence but if I don’t sit next to her little plastic IKEA desk during class, she’s a bump on a log. I guess the plus side is that she’s not one of the little assholes who unmutes Zoom and blows into their mic. How can a generation that can self-learn iPads and televisions be so fucking dumb when it comes to class technology?
As a type this, the teacher is playing an American freedom song and the kids are trying to sing along to words they’ve never heard before. I’ve never hated other children as much as I do this moment.
I should be sitting next to my daughter as she works. Her desk is tiny and while I’m small enough to fit on the matching chair, it’s uncomfortable. Most importantly, I can’t get my work done. Out of the 40 hours I get paid in a week, I’ve accomplished 20 minutes of meaningful work. Not only am I a shitty parent-teacher right now during class time, but I’m also a shitty employee.
