The Great Escape

I never thought I'd say this, but I love going to the office. It's not because my job is so much fun that I just can't wait to get there; it's that the office is an escape—a 9-to-5 oasis, if you will, from the rigors of parenting. I love my 2-year-old son (really, I do), but after an exhausting weekend of chasing him around the playground and managing a seemingly infinite number of toddler meltdowns, I find myself longing for the simple pleasures I can now only find at work: adult conversation, peace and quiet, ability to surf the Web without tiny hands slamming the keyboard and grabbing the mouse.

The common consensus is that Monday is the worst day of the week—but not for me. I love Monday! On Monday, I drop my son off at day care untroubled by any shred of guilt, and then arrive at my office with a huge sense of relief. The week is just starting and, yes, I'm already tired from the hard-core parenting of the weekend, and, well, I'm at work. But all the same, I feel free. I know it sounds awful to be happy to be away from your child, but honestly, I'd go nuts if I had to spend all day, every day, with my son. (Stay-at-home-parents, you have my utmost respect.) Work is my chance to talk with other adults without having a small person hanging on me. I can freely call my friends to catch up. I recharge my brain. And I get paid!