It's all about balance

I was invited to a friendship party this week. Decidely different from the vodka paralyzers from last weekend :-), this one involved singing, crafts and hundreds - nee, thousands - of the afore-mentioned rice krispie squares.

And I almost declined.

You see, this party was for grade twos and their parents. I had just taken time off the previous week when my caregiver was ill and I was concerned about the perception that I was not committed to my job. Never mind the long hours I put in or my attempts to do things the right way (not the easy way) at work. Fact is, working parents take more time off than those without kids. And it is a sensitive issue.

In the end, I snuck out to the party with only seconds to get there. The parental guilt of a 7 year old looking around for a familiar face and seeing none was more than I could take. And afterall, I had not had a chance to actually try any of the goodies that we had prepared.

I won't always place my kids before my job. But I wish I could.