No. We didn't see the pandemic coming but we did get out of DC and end up in a much better place that it turns out has made this whole situation a lot easier to manage. We sort of parent-tracked our jobs and took pay cuts but now we are reaping the benefits of those decisions. I don't know how we would be surviving this had we kept our old life intact. I'm not smug because I know how fortunate we have been that a lot of things have led us to this point, but I will say I do still roll my eyes at the people who lament their situation but could change (even if it means downgrading their life in some way) but won't. For everyone who can't change where they are at, I have nothing but sympathy.

I teach part time, so it was easier on me when the kids were doing DL and I could help. Now I’m off so I can take them hiking or biking during the day or to the pool that finally opened up. Yes i have it easier than working parents. But it’s not always easy. Sometimes I wish I could lock myself in a room for hours and say I have to work/have a conference call so I can have something else besides attending to their needs. The fight a lot and it’s wearing me down. I am an introvert and I miss time alone. When I work to carve time out for myself, I feel guilty that I’m not with them, I remember it’s fine, but then I don’t—then I’m a roller coaster of emotions.

I think it’s rare when life is truly perfect for some. It’s easy to see pictures on social media and assume someone is living their best life and it’s better than yours. But you don’t know if your friend with the amazing backyard pool is going through a divorce. Or your friend with the amazing nanny has a horrible relationship with her mother. Or your friend with the beach house has a chronic illness. I try to be grateful for what I have and not be smug about it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am living my best life. I worked at home pre-Covid as did my staff, so I didn’t have to learn a new way to manage my team.
I’m an introvert and I love not feeling any pressure to make plans. My husband is home and since he is not commuting, he helps with the kids more. I have time to work out every day and I’ve lost 10 pounds. We’re not eating out and I’ve tried a bunch of new recipes. Our preschool is open and my kids are so happy to be back. I feel that the safety precautions are reasonable.
We’re saving money on buying lunch, Metro and parking.
My pool is open and now there is a reservation system so I never have to show up and wonder if I’ll get a lane or have to share. My yard looks amazing because we have weekends free to work on it since there are no sports, kids BD parties, etc.

I am super happy, but not smug. I can’t tell anyone I feel this way except my husband. I feel guilty to be honest.

Same here but a DINK. Loving it. All my money is going into my stock account, no commute and we’re thinking about going to Hawaii for 28 days in August. Isolating in a AirBNB of course.

Another DINK here, and also loving it. Mostly it’s because I love working from home and DH is finally home all the time due to not being able to travel for work. But we are super cautious and not doing any travel, gyms, pools, or even restaurants. DH is enjoying finally being able to use our chef’s kitchen regularly and we having more sex often than before.

You think someone is living their best lives by just being a SAHM or working mom with nanny? You have very low expectations.

Anyone who is smug during a pandemic is playing with fire. Covid doesn’t care if you’re a SAHM with 3 nannies.

We are doing our best to make lemons out of lemonade here and yes most days we manage to enjoy ourselves. Some days suck. I wouldn’t say my attitude on the good days is smug- perhaps it’s grateful?

Anonymous wrote:Maybe examine your lens.

Agree. Whoa. Smug? Odd approach to viewing others.

Anonymous wrote:I’m a SAHM. I’m more than “a little inconvenienced.” My kids had just started spring swim lessons when Covid hit. We were planning all sorts of summer water activities. That all ended.

That said, I have a newborn and I wasn’t going to travel or go out a lot this summer. In a way it’s kind of nice to have a newborn now and know that I’m not missing out on anything. It’s been really nice to connect as a family during this time. I think it would be really hard to be single right now. The children are a lot of work but they also bring us so much joy and fill the house with laughter.

You are so dumb and clueless.

Yes, I am smug. My two sisters have given me shit for years about having a highly educated and expensive nanny. They told me repeatedly that I could have a bigger house and go on fancy vacations if I just got rid of the nanny and put my kids in daycare.

My oldest had nanny’s expert tutoring for his DL first grade and ended the year with two academic achievement awards. And my two younger kids are still blissfully happy with all the amazing and creative learning activities nanny has for them in our tiny backyard. DH and get full days of work in from home in our sweats and zero commute. We’ve both lost weight by running together when nanny arrives at 7:30 and having time after five to leisurely cook a healthy meal together.

Meanwhile my two sisters are suffering and their kids are fighting and addicted to TV. My sisters and Brothers-in-law are not getting their work done and overwhelmed by childcare and distance learning in their big houses.

So yeah, I am sitting pretty smug right now!

Anonymous wrote:I feel like the SAHMs and working moms with nannies whom I know are super smug right now, because they are perfectly prepared for this situation and are maybe a tiny bit inconvenienced, but nothing compared to the rest of us parents.

Working mom with a nanny and I’m not smug. We kept our nanny at home with full pay for three months until our state started to reopen. So we were paying a LOT more money than our friends who use daycare for the same service (nothing!). Our kids are 1 and 3, so too young to be parked with an iPad. Now that our nanny is back, I fully recognize what a fortunate situation we are in.

Omg no. I’m a SAHM and my heart is broken for mothers (my friends!) who work outside the home and are struggling now. It’s so unfair how much is falling on women. I’m so sorry.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am living my best life. I worked at home pre-Covid as did my staff, so I didn’t have to learn a new way to manage my team.
I’m an introvert and I love not feeling any pressure to make plans. My husband is home and since he is not commuting, he helps with the kids more. I have time to work out every day and I’ve lost 10 pounds. We’re not eating out and I’ve tried a bunch of new recipes. Our preschool is open and my kids are so happy to be back. I feel that the safety precautions are reasonable.
We’re saving money on buying lunch, Metro and parking.
My pool is open and now there is a reservation system so I never have to show up and wonder if I’ll get a lane or have to share. My yard looks amazing because we have weekends free to work on it since there are no sports, kids BD parties, etc.

I am super happy, but not smug. I can’t tell anyone I feel this way except my husband. I feel guilty to be honest.

Same here but a DINK. Loving it. All my money is going into my stock account, no commute and we’re thinking about going to Hawaii for 28 days in August. Isolating in a AirBNB of course.

Anonymous wrote:I am living my best life. I worked at home pre-Covid as did my staff, so I didn’t have to learn a new way to manage my team.
I’m an introvert and I love not feeling any pressure to make plans. My husband is home and since he is not commuting, he helps with the kids more. I have time to work out every day and I’ve lost 10 pounds. We’re not eating out and I’ve tried a bunch of new recipes. Our preschool is open and my kids are so happy to be back. I feel that the safety precautions are reasonable.
We’re saving money on buying lunch, Metro and parking.
My pool is open and now there is a reservation system so I never have to show up and wonder if I’ll get a lane or have to share. My yard looks amazing because we have weekends free to work on it since there are no sports, kids BD parties, etc.

I am super happy, but not smug. I can’t tell anyone I feel this way except my husband. I feel guilty to be honest.

I am living my best life. I worked at home pre-Covid as did my staff, so I didn’t have to learn a new way to manage my team.
I’m an introvert and I love not feeling any pressure to make plans. My husband is home and since he is not commuting, he helps with the kids more. I have time to work out every day and I’ve lost 10 pounds. We’re not eating out and I’ve tried a bunch of new recipes. Our preschool is open and my kids are so happy to be back. I feel that the safety precautions are reasonable.
We’re saving money on buying lunch, Metro and parking.
My pool is open and now there is a reservation system so I never have to show up and wonder if I’ll get a lane or have to share. My yard looks amazing because we have weekends free to work on it since there are no sports, kids BD parties, etc.

I’m a SAHM and I’m absolutely not smug. I have 3 kids and they fight all day. I’m trying to make the best of a bad situation and plan outings for us to break up the day. I think it will be a royal pain in the ass to have part time school but I will try my best.

Not smug, but with the bulk of income still there and no major illnesses life is pretty good. The oldest child is unexpectedly back for a while (his school will be online next semester). I was complaining that right as we got to really enjoy his company as an adult, he had to leave the nest, so this is my chance to set the clock back a bit. The middle child is leaving for college - we got to be really close the last couple of months, the silver lining of lockdown. The youngest child is enjoying the completely unscheduled carefree summer.