Work, Wombs and Whining
Apparently, getting pregnant is not as easy as I thought it would be. It's actually getting kind of frustrating. Every month it's the same thing: Could I be? Am I? Is it too early to take a pregnancy test? And then I get my period. This month, I have mapped out my entire cycle and as unromantic as it sounds, my husband and I have a 'schedule to stick to'. I shouldn't complain though, I've only been trying for about 4 months and I was on the pill for over 10 years, so I guess my body is trying to get back to it's regular routine.
On the work front, I'm still not too thrilled with my job. I have been working longer hours despite my obvious reluctance to do so. The people I work for (and I'm sure this goes on everywhere) do not seem to understand that I have a life outside of this office. They love to work and they are always stressed out.
To me, it's not worth it. And I am sure that when I have babies, I will be even more reluctant to put in all the extra time and effort at a job. I understand that if you really love your job and are happy in that environment then sure, you don't mind putting in the extra time because it feels worth it. I am just amazed at how quickly people lose perspective.
For example: My boss is single and feels she doesn't really have anyone to go home to anyway so she will stay and work for hours and hours on a regular basis. She tells me all the time how stressed she is. Because of the type of industry we work in, the extra overtime is rarely necessary. What does not get done today will get done the next day, no questions asked. So I asked her why she works so much, and told her that I don't think it's worth it. I would rather go home and spend time with friends and family and ENJOY LIFE. Work is a paycheque. It funds your life. Work is not your whole life. She disagreed. She actually said that she didn't mind working all the extra hours because it "builds character". Wow. That's something my grandparents would say.
This is a symptom of a society that values an individual based on how much they sacrifice for their job. The harder you work (with or without acceptable compensation) the better a person you are.
People say, "Oh what a hard worker! He or she is so dedicated!".
Dedicated to what? A company that does not care about you-they care about the bottom line. And when it comes time for cutbacks and layoffs, well, they aren't exactly going to be looking out for your best interests. People need to get away from this mentality. It is only serving the companies, not the individuals, and certainly not their families.
I understand that many people, especially women, do not have the luxury of getting to choose the ideal job for their situation when they have a husband and children at home. It really pisses me off that it is acceptable in our society to think that women should bite the bullet and send her kids to daycare for 12 hours a day so they can travel 3 or 4 hours a day in rush hour to and from a miserable job and be expected to stay late! Hello? Raising a family here! The most important job in the world!
I know life was not ideal in the 50's and 60's, but why was it that a family could survive on 1 income then and we can't do it now? Why do both parents have to work? It does not make sense. We have babies and then have to give them to someone else to raise when we go back to work. I know most people don't have a choice, and most likely, I will have to go back to work when my kids start school, but this has got to change. Life is stressful enough.
I think these people who are obsessed with working are nuts. And I think the people who don't see how hard it is for a woman to leave her baby after one year and return to the workplace are jerks. YOU ARE NOT YOUR JOB PEOPLE! Stop basing people's worth on how many hours they spend at the office or how much money they make. There is so much more out there.
(Reluctant)Office Girl
On the work front, I'm still not too thrilled with my job. I have been working longer hours despite my obvious reluctance to do so. The people I work for (and I'm sure this goes on everywhere) do not seem to understand that I have a life outside of this office. They love to work and they are always stressed out.
To me, it's not worth it. And I am sure that when I have babies, I will be even more reluctant to put in all the extra time and effort at a job. I understand that if you really love your job and are happy in that environment then sure, you don't mind putting in the extra time because it feels worth it. I am just amazed at how quickly people lose perspective.
For example: My boss is single and feels she doesn't really have anyone to go home to anyway so she will stay and work for hours and hours on a regular basis. She tells me all the time how stressed she is. Because of the type of industry we work in, the extra overtime is rarely necessary. What does not get done today will get done the next day, no questions asked. So I asked her why she works so much, and told her that I don't think it's worth it. I would rather go home and spend time with friends and family and ENJOY LIFE. Work is a paycheque. It funds your life. Work is not your whole life. She disagreed. She actually said that she didn't mind working all the extra hours because it "builds character". Wow. That's something my grandparents would say.
This is a symptom of a society that values an individual based on how much they sacrifice for their job. The harder you work (with or without acceptable compensation) the better a person you are.
People say, "Oh what a hard worker! He or she is so dedicated!".
Dedicated to what? A company that does not care about you-they care about the bottom line. And when it comes time for cutbacks and layoffs, well, they aren't exactly going to be looking out for your best interests. People need to get away from this mentality. It is only serving the companies, not the individuals, and certainly not their families.
I understand that many people, especially women, do not have the luxury of getting to choose the ideal job for their situation when they have a husband and children at home. It really pisses me off that it is acceptable in our society to think that women should bite the bullet and send her kids to daycare for 12 hours a day so they can travel 3 or 4 hours a day in rush hour to and from a miserable job and be expected to stay late! Hello? Raising a family here! The most important job in the world!
I know life was not ideal in the 50's and 60's, but why was it that a family could survive on 1 income then and we can't do it now? Why do both parents have to work? It does not make sense. We have babies and then have to give them to someone else to raise when we go back to work. I know most people don't have a choice, and most likely, I will have to go back to work when my kids start school, but this has got to change. Life is stressful enough.
I think these people who are obsessed with working are nuts. And I think the people who don't see how hard it is for a woman to leave her baby after one year and return to the workplace are jerks. YOU ARE NOT YOUR JOB PEOPLE! Stop basing people's worth on how many hours they spend at the office or how much money they make. There is so much more out there.
(Reluctant)Office Girl
posted by vegan mum at 11:00 AM
1 Comments:
Dear T.Dot Mommeh To Be One Day:
Use this, if you havent checked it out already:
http://www.webmd.com/medical_information/health_tools/interactive/ovu_calendar.htm
I used it to 'plan' my cycle and the days to do the deed and not to do the deed. I cant say that the position part worked 100%, because well.. I didnt care what flavour we got, we just wanted something.
G'luck baby. I started in June and was knocked up by September (after having been on the pill for 13 years) so I have faith that you will be knocked up soon too!
Teh Mommeh on the Wet Coast.
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