I prefer working at the workplace rather than at home. A few days ago though, I had to do a work from home (WFH) since my 3rd grade son woke up with a cold & fever. The day was packed with back-to-back calls – conferences & one-on-ones. The day seemed even more hectic than it was, thanks to some infrastructural frustrations as well (power cuts & clogged bandwidth). Lunch time came & breakfast leftovers was re-hashed as lunch. Not paying much attention to my son’s disapproving looks, I rushed into yet another call. Little time was spent with the sick son who shuffled across reading, TV, games & attempts to get me to spend time with him.
It was 5:30 in the evening when I finally caught up with my lunch. Guilt ridden, I chatted up with the son & mentioned about the hectic work day I was going through. He was taken aback. Smiling incredulously & shaking his head, he says “You didn’t work. You were just talking to people all day long.”
Note To Self: It’s just enough that I talk to the kids about their days at school. Spend more time over the dining table talking about my workday as well.