Would Your Kids Recognize You At Work?
by Tara Pringle Jefferson
My husband went to a work function with me last year and finally met everyone in my six-person department. He smiled as they told him stories about how I perform under pressure. “She’s so calm,” my boss told him. “She never ever gets flustered.”
He shot me a look as if to say, “Is she talking about you?”
I admit it – my work self is completely different from how I am at home. I’m a lot calmer at work, like my co-workers said, and I tend to be a lot quieter, as I find the best way for me to work is to be a better listener.
I’m not radically different at home but I am a lot louder and say what’s on my mind almost instantly, rather than mulling it over for a second like I do at work to prevent me from making embarrassing statements or blunders.
Why is that? If my kids saw me at work, would they say, “Yup, that’s the Mommy I know!” or would they say, “Geez, who is that lady? She seems so much nicer than my Mommy.” As sad as it sounds, I feel like it would be the latter.
I am working to merge my two “personalities” – be a better listener at home and a bit more outspoken at work. My babies deserve it.
Are you different at work than you are at home? Would your kids recognize you at work?
Tara Pringle Jefferson is a freelance writer and blogger living in Ohio with her husband and two children. Visit her blog, www.theyoungmommylife.com, to read more of her observations about life, motherhood and love.
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