‘We’re all doing our best’
Amy Buck-Conrad describes her experience of working from home while simultaneously taking care of her 3year-old as a “free-for-all.”
“I was never sure what would be happening when I looked up from my computer. Maybe I would move my feet and hear ‘ow’ because there was a fort that had been constructed under my dining room table,” said Buck-Conrad. “Other times it was just dealing with a lack of elbow room because my little coworker had to be right by my side. And then there was the day I had to be ready to jump up from my computer at a moment’s notice to hold the
bucket for my little one to throw up.”
Shay Knox is a social worker with Milwaukee Public Schools. She usually leaves the house to work while her 3year-old son, Montel, goes to day care. But a few times during the pandemic, one or the other has had to quarantine. Knox's efforts to distract her son — while she works in one room, and her nephews do their virtual school in another room, and Montel runs back and forth between rooms — result in a house that looks “like a toddler tornado hit.”
“My son wants my undivided attention, but sometimes I'll literally be in a meeting and have to stop mid-sentence because he is in my background screaming ‘Mommy, Mommy!'” said Knox.
Attorney Latrice Knighton has had similar experiences.
One day, she put on an episode of “Baby Shark” to entertain her 3-year-old twins while she attended a virtual hearing from her laptop.
“My toddlers turned up the sound in the other room so loud I knew the court commissioner would hear it even with my office door closed,” said Knighton. “I kept muting and unmuting myself. At the end, the court commissioner said he knew I must have helpers because he could hear ‘Baby Shark' in the background.” Knighton was relieved when he laughed and said it was not a problem and that we're all doing our best.
‘We’re really just pushing through’
The court commissioner was understanding and willing to be flexible — an attitude working parents hope will remain after the pandemic is over. And it's something that Working Moms of Milwaukee is advocating for.
“A lot of times in the past, moms were in the situation where they felt like their employer was being kind by allowing them to work from home or making a special exception,” said Susannah Lago, founder of Working Moms of Milwaukee. “I think now employers are realizing that people working from home are still productive and that flexibility is not just nice to have, it should just be how it is.”
While many parents have been productive while working from home, they've often been overwhelmed by the extreme circumstances brought on by pandemic restrictions.
Buck-Conrad has been working from home, sending her 4-year-old and baby to day care a few days a week and tagteaming care for the kids (including supervising virtual preschool) with her husband when he's not at his retail job.
“I can't say we have any spectacular formula for making this work, and I don't know how we're staying on top of school work. Not so well, I guess,” said Buck-Conrad. “I have to be the one to breastfeed my son, and my husband has always been the cook. And then we're tag-teaming the school work with my daughter at the same time. We're really just pushing through.”
‘We’re actually more valuable because we’re able to multitask’
Multitasking and tag-teaming aren't anything new for working parents. The mad dash after school and work — to pick up everybody, finish homework, do chores, eat dinner and spend quality time with each other — has always been a thing. So has the need for parents to leave work during the day to pick up sick children, attend school performances and deliver kids to orthodontist appointments.
However, in the before times, many parents felt uncomfortable asking for time off, or they didn't have enough vacation time, sick time or flex time to do so. Parents are hoping that the corporate world will give them the benefit of the doubt in the aftermath of the pandemic.
“I think the pandemic has proved to corporate America that we don't need the traditional 9-to-5 day to be productive. We're being successful not in an office, logging in at 7, then logging out at 10 to help our kids at school, then maybe back on at noon,” said Tierney Konitzer, a mom who has been working from home since the pandemic started. “I hope the big light shining on that right now will help corporate America see our value. We're actually more valuable because we're able to multitask.”
The attention being paid to working and caring for kids at the same time makes this the perfect time for Working Moms of Milwaukee's second annual Working Moms Day, set to take place on March 12 again. The group won't sponsor any in-person events this year, but, again, there will be plenty of celebration of working moms.
Second annual Working Moms Day
Both Gov. Tony Evers and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett have issued proclamations. The group has gotten buy-in from several local organizations who will sponsor the day. Local businesses are running promotions for moms. There's a toolkit on the Working Moms of Milwaukee site with ideas to spread the word.
The signature event, a panel with women business owners talking about turning an idea into a business, will be virtual at 4 p.m. March 12.
Lago invites others to tag Working Moms of Milwaukee with their promotions so they can add them to their site and social media.
“I hope the pandemic helps our group bring to the forefront how valuable moms are in the workplace,” said Lago, “We're a huge asset and hugely valuable, at work and at home. It's possible for those things to exist at the same time.”
Contact Amy Schwabe at (262) 8759488 or amy.schwabe@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @WisFamilyJS, Instagram at @wisfamilyjs or Facebook at WisconsinFamily.