Do you ever feel guilty for having fun at work?

Last October, the amazing web team launched the new todaysparent.com, and it blew everyone away. (If you are reading this, you know what I mean!) Those of us who work on the Today’s Parent magazine watched in awe as Elana Schachter, the online General Manager, and staff worked around the clock leading up to their deadline. At the time, all we could really do was tweet our support, and lend a sympathetic ear when they shared their stories of missing their families and of their pure exhaustion.
 
Now, the print team is in the final stretch of redesigning the magazine, and we have a little message for the web team: WE GET IT NOW! There have been a lot of long hours logged, way too many dinners delivered to our desks, and an embarrassing amount of mommy guilt. We’ve been missing daycare pickups, hockey games and bedtime stories. My 10-year-old daughter, Milla, phoned me sobbing last Sunday afternoon because she wanted me to come home. She’d had a friend sleepover the night before, so I think she was also overtired, but it didn’t alleviate my heartache or hers: I told her to get my laptop and we Skyped from her bedroom to my office for the remainder of the day (and into the night, I confess). I’ve become a CyberMom in the truest sense of the word.
 
But here’s where the real guilt comes from: I am having a great time. As Elana said in the December 2011 issue of her experience: “It wasn’t always easy, but we had a lot of fun!” It’s exhilarating to be a part of such a creative group. This opportunity is an editor’s dream. I am so proud of the entire team: editorial, online, sales and production. We have bonded in a way I never anticipated, and I am forever grateful for their dedication. Everyone should be so lucky to work with such talented and considerate people. While I have sacrificed a bit of time with my loved ones for a short period of time, I have gained an entire new family. I already know I am going to miss the crazy pace and will have to find a new project when this magazine gets sent to the printing plant Friday, January 27^th. Baby number five maybe? Just kidding!