Balancing Family and Fun
My wife and I had a bit of an argument this morning over the amount of time that I spend on the computer while I’m at home. She claims that I don’t spend enough time with her and our son by comparison. I guess the main argument is that I spend all day long on the computer at work, so I shouldn’t want to get on the computer while I’m at home.
I understand the observation, although it ignores the fact that I’m doing other people’s projects while I’m at work. It’s still work, whether or not it’s in front of the computer, and my company is pretty strict about restricted internet activities. When I’m at home, I can work on my own projects and surf where I like. Thus, it isn’t the difference between computing and computing; it’s the difference between work and leisure.
I suppose I could stand to do less computing at home. It’s just frustrating that my wife doesn’t recognize the activity for what it really is, namely, stress relief. And while I get some of that from her and my son, I still need to do something to unwind after work, something that I do sheerly for my own enjoyment. I consider it a necessity to my sanity and happiness.
I’m sure I’ll work something out with her. We never argue for very long, and I’m sure she hasn’t given the ordeal a second thought. It’s just another pothole on the long road of marriage. She and Izzy are more important to me than anything else, a fact of which I’m sure she’s aware. I just need my free time is all.
The lesson here is that life is a balancing act. In this case, I have to balance my own need for leisure with my family’s need for my attention. The trick to keeping everyone satisfied is to strike a compromise. It might be an acrobatic feat to stick to the happy medium sometimes, but it’s better than leaning all the way to one side or the other.