Now that I’m back to working full-time though, all the reasons why I wanted a work-from-home job have been inundating my mind lately.

Let’s see why:

1. Months of being a househusband with a side hustle meant that I’m having a hard time being away from my kids anymore. Well, I’m only reporting to the office thrice a week and working from home for two days. 

Even so, I’m busy the whole day with meetings as well as rush work that needs to be delivered soon. With that, I only get to check on my kids for just a few minutes. I believe this is also a universal issue for parents; even parents in the US have to leave their kids in nurseries because they need to work.

2. The long daily commute often leaves us exhausted and lacking in sleep. Mommy Khris and I have been living in Novaliches since the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a practical choice when we were working from home. 

Now that most employees are being asked to report back to the office, we have no choice but to brave the long bus ride from Novaliches, Quezon City to Makati City. To avoid traffic, we leave home before 5:30 AM. We didn't want to bring a car because of the high fuel and parking prices plus traffic is heavier in the private vehicle lane of EDSA.

3. The work demands of a full-time job. I transferred to an industry outside banking which meant that I have to learn new concepts, terms, processes, and so on. Just the same, people are not going to slow down for me; I have to work double time to catch up. I guess I have to admit that I’m really getting old because I’m not as excited anymore with the thought of spending long hours at work.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the environment in my new office because it’s totally different from what I’ve been used to in banks. It’s just that I’m coming in very new and without experience in this industry that’s why there is more adjustment involved on my part. 

This time, I don’t have to just learn new names, I have to learn everything starting from the littlest detail. I only have a few deliverables but I’ve been a little more tired than usual. There was even one project that I had to work on through the night. What more if work starts to increase?

So where does the conflict come in? I guess it’s from wanting to take care of my kids myself and be with them most of the time. At the same time, I want to earn well for them and be able to provide them with a good future through financial stability. 

I dream of having our own house soon so that we can finally live on our own. The conflict comes from trying to find the balance between being a hands-on parent and being a good provider.

Mommy Khris and I share the same dream. We want to break free from our corporate jobs to be with our kids but we also want to earn well to secure our children’s future. We haven’t figured out how to do that yet but we do hope to crack the code soon. In the meantime, we just have to hold on to our dream.

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