My son (6) drew me and silently showed me the drawing: I looked at it better and saw 4 words that break my heart

Those four words are: “Are you done mom?” To that, I, the drawn mom, answer “No”. I looked at my watch, it was 6:05 pm Then I looked at the list of obligations that I have to complete, it was endless. My heart sank and I don’t like to admit it, but it’s like this every day, writes Prija Amin from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a mother who shared her son’s drawing on LinkedIn and it became a viral hit because many parents around the world they found themselves. in this.

It is becoming increasingly difficult for me to separate work and private life from the onset of the pandemic. Technology is especially retaliating, with strong notifications that keep coming. In the last few months, I have practically not balanced anything. I work all the time. Most people who work from home agree that they no longer differentiate between work and play. There are many tips on this topic, some help to some extent, but the reality is that we find it increasingly difficult to separate the two. During business hours, we are parents and teachers and homemakers. There is too much. I have to take breaks several times a day to see how my son is doing while studying remotely or to see how his youngest son is doing. I have to feed them, I have to help with homework, I have to run when I need something. Those breaks hurt my productivity – a recent study showed we lose three hours of work that way.

We all know all the guilt we feel for that. We feel guilty for not doing enough work that day. We feel guilty for not being at our best mentally and emotionally. We feel guilty for not spending quality time with children. The last type of guilt hit me like a sledgehammer when my son handed me that paper. The only consolation, though not one, is that I know I am not alone. Working from home has affected the mental health of many Americans and all trends show that more and more of us will continue to work from home. Therefore, employers must directly and clearly support their remote workers in balancing the mental, emotional and physical burden of such work.

The only good thing about this situation of mine is that my children like to spend time with me. But that doesn’t make things easier, especially when I’m constantly being asked when I’m done. However, this is the first time I’ve been asked in such a heartbreaking way. If you’ve ever received a similar drawing from your children and felt guilty about not succeeding, you are not alone. We all carry that burden in a pandemic – says Prija.