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Mum's 'heart sinks' as son draws heartbreaking reality of her working from home

Parenting
 The drawing Priya's son gave to her (Photo: LinkedIn)

With coronavirus, many parents may have found that their roles at home and work have changed.

Working from home whilst homeschooling, parenting and completing the day-to-day chores to keep the house running smoothly, can feel like an impossible juggling act.

And one mum was left feeling especially "guilty" after her son made it clear she wasn't showing him enough attention.

Priya Amin, the CEO of Flexable, explained that her six-year-old son had drawn her a picture of what she looks like working from home.

The picture shows a little boy asking his mum whether she's finished for the day, to which she bluntly replies no, as she continues typing at her computer.

US-based Priya's "heart sank" when she saw the picture, which she later shared to LinkedIn.

She wrote on the website: "A few days ago, I was busy getting some last-minute things checked off my to-do list when my six-year-old snuck into my office and handed me a piece of paper.

"At first, I glanced at it and said 'Oh that's so good buddy!' but when I looked closer, I read four words that broke my heart — 'Mommy, are you done?' to which the mommy in the picture answered 'No'.

"I looked at the clock — it was 6:05 PM.

"Then I looked at my to-do list which seemed to be a mile long. My heart sank — although I don't like to admit it, this is the situation almost every night."

She later went on to say that her "ability to separate work from home life has become more and more challenging as the pandemic has worn on", and that when paired with the "responsibilities of parenting, homeschooling and home obligations, in general, it feels overwhelming."

 Priya Amin with her sons (Photo: Courtesy)

"The guilt associated with that is palpable. Guilt for not doing enough work in the day," she added.

"Guilt for not being at my best mentally or emotionally. Guilt for spending transactional time with my kids instead of intentional, meaningful time with them.

"That last type of guilt is what fell on me like a ton of bricks when this sweet drawing landed in my lap.

"I guess the only good thing I can take from this experience is my kids love spending time with me."

Fellow LinkedIn users were quick to comfort Priya and praise her for sharing the "relatable" image as many admitted that they too felt the same.

As one said: "I see you and I feel you on this! My son wrote me several passes to use. 'Don't have to help' cards that I can cash in when he asks for help with school work and I can't help because I am working. It forever broke me."

While another admitted: "My 5 yr. old is being regularly let down by me being a workaholic. 'Daddy, are you done? Daddy come play with me! Daddy, you are always working'. Heartbreaking words that I hear almost every day.

"But those emails cannot be left unread. The many meetings need to be attended. Working my a** off to provide the best possible future for my son, but the irony is that I have barely any time for him during these very important years of his life."

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