I trade my kid’s screen time for my office time
Because sometimes, that’s the only way to increase productivity at work.
The guilt is nauseating after every one of those important meetings when I have to sit my kids down in front of a screen for an hour just so I can discuss a work issue in peace. If the meeting goes on longer, it means one more joyous episode of Troll Hunters for them. The reward for me, though, is intellectual satisfaction from having contributed well to the discussion and getting that one more glimpse of the professional go-getter in me.
The real economics going on here is : An inch more of self-worth as a professional, in exchange of a broken rule. Once in a while, its okay!
The problem is when this becomes a pattern — a dynamic one. At first, it goes like this, Me in a meeting > Kids watching TV > me feeling uplifted > then me feeling guilty. Next time, the kid knows its ok to break rules, so the pattern subtly shifts without the mom realising, and goes like this, Me doing everyday work > kids browsing stuff of the iPad > me scolding > kids feeling confused > me feeling guilty. And the next shift is worse, where the kids feel its okay to browse YouTube when mom’s submerged in work and the video begins with an advert about an absolutely…