I think there is a requirement for being a mom and working from home. Your desk must look like a garage sale of kids toys and books and homework at all times. It doesn't matter if you have a deadline or you had everything organized exactly the way you needed it to be. It is now chaos. Your desk becomes their desk. Yes, they have their own desks in their own rooms as well as the kitchen counter, table, etc. But my desk is where they are drawn like little clutter magnets. My colored pencils and paper and computer are so much more intriguing than theirs, but really it is because they want to be with me. And seeing as how much time I am at my computer and my work, it is the most efficient way to help with homework, to connect after school, to spend a little time together.
I remember a year ago as my friend Susan helped me prepare materials for an exhibit. Our husbands were watching the Super Bowl and the kids were running around on foot and on scooters in the house, screaming and eating pizza and little meatballs. Susan and I sat in my office, drinking red wine, drowning in doublestick tape, printouts and folders as kids came in and taped notes on us. Ah, just another work day and we laughed at how ridiculous we must have looked with little pieces of paper stuck to us and how ludicrous it sometimes seems to work in such chaos.
I am so very lucky to have children that want to spend time with me (teen years have not hit yet) and want to set up shop next to me. And even luckier that they are creative, curious and full of great ideas. So I will remember that this is a gift and a fleeting moment in time as I work around the Hello Kitty sewing machine and Lego contraptions.
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