Appreciation post: I thought my 80 hour weeks were normal until my kid asked why I was always mad

I was grinding on a website project for a brewery in Portland, pulling all-nighters for what felt like the hundredth time. My daughter, who's seven, came into my office last Tuesday and just looked at me. She said, 'Daddy, your face is mad. Are you mad at me?' That hit me like a ton of bricks. I wasn't mad at her, I was just so fried from staring at code and answering client emails at 2 AM that my default expression was a scowl. I realized I was teaching her that work means being stressed and unhappy. I've started shutting my laptop at 6 PM sharp, no matter what. The work is still there in the morning, but I'm not. Has anyone else had a moment like that, where someone else's view made you see your burnout clearly?

3 comments

3 Comments

julias4414d ago

Saw that with my own kid last year. Good on you for shutting the laptop. The work will wait.

viola_garcia5614d ago

My son's third grade teacher said the same exact thing to me.

max_schmidt7714d ago

Totally agree with shutting the laptop. That teacher was right. Kids need a hard stop from school stuff. The emails and assignments can wait until morning. Family time is more important.