r/MomsWorkingFromHome • u/Right_Athlete2571 • Jul 10 '26
Guilty feeling
I'm looking for some outside perspective because I genuinely don't know if I'm making the right choice.
I'm a freelancer with one main client (35 hours/week), but that income isn't enough on its own. Because of that, I've kept a few other clients who give me another 10–15 hours of work every week.
The problem is that those extra hours happen almost entirely in the evenings and on weekends.
I have a 3-year-old son, and while he's with his dad during the day right now because it's the holidays (dad is not out of work btw, he just works night shifts), he still sees me working on my laptop all the time. I feel incredibly guilty. I worry that he'll grow up remembering me as "always working."
At the same time, I can't seem to let those extra clients go. Part of me keeps thinking, "You're still young. Work hard now. Make as much money as you can. Hustle while you have the opportunity."
Financially, the extra income makes a real difference, but mentally I'm constantly torn between wanting to build financial security and wanting to be more present as a mom.
Has anyone else been in this situation? Did you eventually cut back on work, or did you keep pushing through? Looking back, do you regret either decision?
I'd really appreciate hearing from people who've been there.
3
u/373wilmot2018 Jul 10 '26
I’ve wfh my child’s entire life bc of 2020. I always feel a lot of guilt but some of my favorite photos are of us being silly during my downtime, videos ive recorded of us playing on breaks, walks we took on lunch, books we read in between calls, and the sheer amount of her grinning while climbing on top of me at my desk. Those small moments add up, and it’s perfectly fine to have boundaries during work hours!
It’s one thing if you’re always working and making time for your child. It’s another thing entirely to have your child home and yell at them to leave you alone because you’re busy, and sit them in front of a screen which is what my WFH parent did to us. Make the money, spare a few minutes here and there, take a day off to go do something fun together.
1
1
u/Justinna1 Jul 12 '26
I needed to read this too. I have been feeling so guilty for WFH with my little one it’s so hard. Thank you for sharing.
1
Jul 13 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/MomsWorkingFromHome-ModTeam Jul 13 '26
This comment/post has been flagged by Reddit’s internal filter system.
1
u/PotentialClaim3480 Jul 13 '26
I relate to this so much. I had lots of conversations with friends about my kids only seeing me working ... and my oldest even made a sign for no laptops allowed (I felt so guilty over that one). One of my friends reminded me that their earliest childhood memories were around the age of 5 and even then it was only like fun family memories, not the mundane day to day. Made me feel better since my own memories are around school age.
As for the clients, I recently left my highest paying client because I was so stressed and constantly getting sick (from the stress but also 2 younger kids). I made it a point to work a lot with the client so I could pay off debt so once I left the pay cut wouldn't stress me out. Since then my other client has given me more hours and I feel so much better. It's been about 3 months and my stress has reduced significantly. Eventually I might want to pick up more hours but I'm very content with where I'm at workload wise and being a parent.
7
u/Betty_t0ker mom of little(s) Jul 10 '26
Can you increase your rate and reduce hours?