Why?

Why does it have to be so darn hard?

I knew parenting wouldn't be easy, but why did I pull the card for three strong-willed kids?

Don't get me wrong, they are great kids, but raising them to be functioning members of society instead of hedonistic cavepeople is work.

Why is it when new management comes in to work, they seem to think they know better than the people who have been there for years?

Both my husband and I are dealing with newish management. We both feel so darn frustrated sometimes, when they take off on some new path that we just know will lead to grief, and they don't listen to us?

It just ends up leaving us feeling like cogs in a wheel. Our institutional knowledge and history of place count for nothing. Oh, and apparently 10+ years in the business count for nothing if you don't have a terminal degree.

Sheesh. I can't write what I'm probably going to want to say after the next few days at work.

Why does corporate America think it owns us body and soul?

Our raises are less than inflation, they expect us to work longer hours, in my case, sometimes travel without much notice, kill our self-esteem, belittle our credentials, and oh, not listen to us (see above). I care about what I do. Deeply. I just don't want to live there, no do I want to be dictated to. Hello, I've got a degree from a major university. Nowhere on that degree does it read "Slave".

I just want to tell them to chuck it. Nothing is as important as my family, and I resent the fact that my husband and I are forced to negotiate, or worse, value work over time spent with the people most important to us.

In case you can't tell, it's been a pretty darn awful couple of weeks, and it doesn't look like it's gonna get much better soon.