Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown
Ever since the 3 of us got old enough to be left at home by ourselves whenever our parents go out of the country, they inevitably leave me, their eldest child, in charge. I never like being left in charge, obliged to be "the adult" and designated leader in the house. The responsibilities that come with keeping an eye on my siblings, overseeing the household, and running errands weigh heavily on my shoulders... not to mention if anything goes wrong, it will all be on my head.
Now it's even worse, because aside from being temporary queen of the castle, I'm also holding down the fort at the office. Any false steps or poor decisions, and I take the flak when the bosses get back. Plus there are just so many matters vying for my attention all at the same time, stuff that my parents usually attend to: signing documents, issuing checks, approving drafts, checking reports, answering overseas phone calls, interviewing applicants, finding solutions to problems of various shapes and sizes that crop up without warning and at the most inappropriate moments (you'd think a multi-tasker like me would find fire-fighting a breeze, but no, it's a pain in my multi-tasking arse). That's not even mentioning the various regular tasks I do even when the top brass are in town. And while all this is going on, I'm texting my parents every so often to update them, or clarify a point, or get their green light for something. Thank goodness there are no more international roaming charges for receiving text messages.
The constant chaotic flurry of activity at work keeps me on my toes, but also on edge. The anxiety of being the lone leader and the fear of messing up big-time are overwhelming, and even after a few days of playing commander-in-chief, my nerves are frayed to very thin threads. I could never do this for the rest of my life, the kind of omnipresent, omniscient, crazy-juggling-act managing my parents do day in and day out. I'd suffer either a breakdown or a meltdown, and neither would be very pretty.
Can I abdicate the throne, please?
posted by Ailee Through the Looking Glass @ 1:29 AM
4 comments
4 Comments:
Good luck ling! ;-) It's no easy task but I'm sure you'll do well. Ikaw pa.
Thanks for the vote of confidence... Yang? Or Ria? You guys should really start leaving your names. Haha.
I found myself in that exact situation earlier this year, only I was training a bunch of new employees for my company on top of all that. So you could say that I've been there.
The key to surviving such a situation, I think, is to realize that it won't last forever. You'll probably run into the same situation later on in life, but at least you'll be prepared for it now. That, and you can probably ask your bosses for a raise if you managed to do a good job while they were gone.
No need for a raise, actually. They pay my credit card bills, and while they were away, I treated myself to 2 pairs of shoes and a jacket. :)
Times like these (among many), I wish I weren't the eldest child. Or that my parents were more gender discriminatory. Being first in line to the throne isn't as fun as it seems.
My turn to ask out of curiosity: what kind of business are you guys in?
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