As a stay-at-home mom, it's easy for me to see my work as "never ending." I am, after all, on call literally 24/7. Very few, if any, job titles can make a claim like that.
Many nights, after getting home from a full day at work, my husband also has to do some homework for his Master's program. I wish that I could say that I always have a 100% positive attitude about how much work he has to do in order to juggle a full-time job, a growing family, a pro-life apostolate, and online classes. Unfortunately, that's not always the case. I find myself wishing that he were able to leave work and school outside of the home so that when he's here, he's really here with the family.
I had a reality check the other night when, after putting the kids to bed, we had some time to actually sit down and talk with each other in a quiet house. And what did I do? I pulled out a basket of clean laundry to fold as we talked. Classic multi-tasker thing to do, right? I realized about half-way through my basket of clothes that I was doing exactly that which I had asked my hard-working husband not to do.
It's easy for me to criticize my husband for bringing work and school home with him, but how many times do I allow my "work" (albeit, in the home) to get in the way of spending time with my husband and children? How many conversations happen over a load of laundry, washing dishes, or picking up after a busy toddler? A simple question, but one that has had a profound impact on how I look at my "work" in our home this past week, and what primacy of place I give to it.
Is there anything wrong with doing this? Absolutely not. Does "quality time" with your spouse sometimes necessarily overlap with household duties? Of course. Maybe, though, every now and again, we should let the laundry wait, do the dishes tomorrow, and sit down and simply enjoy each other's company.
