Just one person’s thoughts on the RTO mandate.

I know this thread is flooded with RTO posts. But I wanted to share my perspective.

My first thought when I read the order: I’ll miss my kids. We had our first child 2.5 years ago and it has been such a blessing to be home with him 3 days a week. We have part time help from family/friends, so although he’s not home with me when I’m working often, it’s so nice to be able to see him every morning and when he returns in the early afternoon. I have been able to witness him crawling, walking, talking, and becoming a mini human. I get to hear his laugh when I’m in the office. I get to be there the minute I clock out from work, ready to play.

We’re due with our second child in May. This RTO mandate means we will be placing our infant in a daycare center this year. It’s not what we envisioned.

And before the argument of “I worked full time in office while raising young children” people start popping up - I hear you. I cannot tell you how grateful I am. I understand and recognize my privilege. And I’m sorry to those parents who didn’t have it.

The hybrid work schedule has brought so much balance to my life. It is very helpful for a young, growing family unit. It has brought us so many benefits and I’m sad it’s going away.

That’s all.

EDIT: Wow. I did not expect this post to blow up. I truly appreciate everyone’s perspective and the kind words. It seems the overwhelming majority understands my feelings and POV.

It does not matter if you have children. The extra time to commute to/from work, parking fees, and mental load affects everyone. Hybrid work schedules were the way of the future, but it appears we are going backwards.