We’ve been SAHM and Working Moms for almost a decade now. Many of our readers are surprised to find out we’ve pubbed GTWoman Magazine from home since Day 1. Who would have guessed we could run a business AND climb the sand dunes in a single day? Well, here’s a look at how we balance the isolation of working from home with the need for human interaction, thanks to technology…
Facebook, of course. We have a GTWoman Facebook page which is a great place to hang out and browse pictures from our events that include things like fancy high heels, people halfway through a bite of food and the latest “bunny rabbit” ears given to a buddy holding a glass of wine.
But Kandy tried the unthinkable on her personal FB page — keeping her friends list to a tight, close few. Still the friend requests came in and the temptation stared at her for weeks, then months. Finally, last week, she went crazy and friended 74 people in a single day. Seventy-four! But, she promised herself, she wouldn’t read up on them and she’d still stick to her closest friends on the newsfeed.
Wrong. Turns out 74 new people are waaay exciting and interesting to read about and get to know online. It’s like a big old shot in the Facebook arm. There’s new families to “meet” and new funny sayings to read and new biking groups to virtually race. FB has proved itself yet again as the ultimate Water Cooler for the SAHM.
Email. It used to be that email was the solve-all for SAHM. We could work day or night, between feedings and brawls, when our hair was standing on end, when the house was as well.
But it seems there’s a stirring underfoot. Our phone is ringing more and more. It appears (studies are still out on this) that women like to talk. Email, while all good and dandy for the usual rigmarole, still doesn’t cut it for real-world connection.
All over the region, there’s a new movement underfoot: The “working” lunch. Kerry’s been known to schedule three working lunches. All on the same day.
Texting. This is a godsend to those working at home who need an instant pick me up. It’s easy to catch a friend, any friend, as bored or as unmotivated as you are at any time of the day.
One day whilst simultaneously working on their websites, Kandy sent her friend a text that said something along the lines of “I’m stuck, what’s the next step?”
She got a reply moments later that she will save, probably forever:
What kind of friend puts a random paper shopping bag over her head in the heat of working? Someone who is good, very good, at this SAHM thing. Could you ask for more than that from one working mom to another?
So enjoy our “Motherhood” issue and rejoice in the power of technology to keep us together, no matter how much work keeps us apart!