Struggles of a Developer Amidst Family Expectations
Irina’s eyes lifted from the laptop screen, where lines of code were riddled with errors once more. Only three days separated her from the project deadline, yet her client was already calling repeatedly since morning, sometimes every half hour. This contract promised financial stability for the next couple of months.
“Irina!” a loud voice echoed from the kitchen. “When will you wash that frying pan?”
Her fingers froze above the keyboard. The frying pan — the very one her mother-in-law used to cook lunch pancakes while Irina was on an urgent call with the development team.
“Galina Mikhailovna, I’m busy working. The project is very urgent,” Irina replied without looking away from the monitor.
“Working, are you?” her mother-in-law smirked, appearing in the doorway with wet hands. “I’m just browsing the internet, but the whole household falls on me. Maksim’s been lying on the sofa, glued to his phone — ‘finding himself’ for three months after losing his job,” she explained.
“Mom, don’t start,” Maksim muttered, not lifting his head.
“Don’t start? Who’s doing the laundry then? Who runs the shopping?”
“Galina Mikhailovna, I pay for the washing machine, groceries, and internet…”
“Pay? Money’s not a cure-all! Back in my days, women went to the market themselves and cared for the family instead of shirking their duties.”
Irina saved her file and took a deep breath. Responsibilities. For five years, she had managed a family of three: paying off a mortgage, funding her mother-in-law’s medical care, and supporting Maksim’s courses to discover his vocation. In return, she received constant reproaches over unwashed dishes.
The phone rang again — the client calling.
“Irina Vladimirovna, it’s crucial to have the module ready by morning.”
“I’m on it. Already working on the module.”
Before she could resume typing, the kitchen resounded with the sharp clatter of dishes.
“Enough!” Galina Mikhailovna shouted loudly. “I’m starving, working with dirty pans while you sit glued to that computer!”
Maksim rose from the couch but instead of helping, he reached for the fridge.
“Irina, when will dinner be ready? I’m hungry.”
A knot of tension tightened inside Irina. This half-million ruble project determined their livelihood for a few months, yet family talks revolved solely around dirty cookware and meal times.
“Come to the kitchen now!” her mother-in-law yelled as she stormed into the living room. “Stop clinging to your computer! After my stroke, I still have to take care of the cleaning!”
Slowly turning around, Irina saw Galina Mikhailovna standing in the doorway, waving a wet rag, her face glowing with anger.
“Do you even hear me?” she continued. “Or did you completely forget how to be grateful?”
The laptop displayed a blinking cursor — an unfinished line of code worth half a million rubles. The phone showed three missed calls and two urgent messages. Meanwhile, her mother-in-law demanded she drop work immediately for that same pan she had used to cook.
“Galina Mikhailovna, please allow me one hour to finish this module,” Irina requested.
“One hour! You always say that hour! And what about the family? Your husband’s hungry, I’m exhausted, and you’re playing games!”
“Mom, don’t worry,” Maksim said lazily without shifting his gaze from the screen. “Irina will finish it later.”
“Later? Stop with the “later”!” shouted Galina Mikhailovna and went to wash the dishes.
Irina stared at the screen with the blinking cursor. Two more hours — and her work would be done, two hours that meant security for her family. Yet Galina Mikhailovna refused to wait, insisting on immediate attention.
Sometimes the hardest battles are fought silently and within.
At that moment, something inside Irina broke — quietly and definitively. It wasn’t an outburst or scream, but a sense of defeat.
She stood up, saved the file, and closed the laptop.
“Alright,” she said calmly. “I’m going to the kitchen.”
Her mother-in-law straightened triumphantly and stepped aside, clearing the way. Maksim nodded approvingly — finally, order was restored in the home.
Irina did move — but not toward the frying pan. Instead, she approached the windowsill, unplugged the router.
The green lights dimmed one by one.
“What are you doing?” Maksim exclaimed, jumping off the couch and staring at the frozen screen.
“Turn the internet back on! My tournament’s about to start!”
Silently, Irina packed her laptop, documents, and car keys.
“Where are you going?” her mother-in-law asked.
“To work.”
“What about the dishes? Who will cook?”
“Ask the one who eats but doesn’t earn.”
Maksim tried to power on the router, but Irina held the unplugged cord firmly.
“Irina, don’t even think about it. My game starts in an hour. Switch it on!”
“I pay for the internet and electricity. If I want, I’ll turn it on. If not — I won’t.”
Her mother-in-law’s face turned pale. “What are you doing? This is a home, a family! You can’t behave like this!”
Irina put on her jacket and turned toward them.
“Can’t behave like this? Can screaming during work be allowed? Is demanding that I abandon an important project for a frying pan acceptable?”
“We didn’t want…” Maksim started.
“You wanted me to go to the kitchen. I went. Now I’m going where my work is respected.”
The coworking space greeted her with silence and the aroma of fresh coffee. At a nearby table, colleagues discussed layouts, while a young woman negotiated via video call in a corner. None demanded time for dishes.
Irina opened her laptop. The code flowed easily again — without interruptions or demands for meals. An hour later, the module was completed and sent to the client.
The phone remained silent — at home, they had realized mobile communication didn’t rely on the router.
Later that evening, Irina returned home to find the kitchen light glowing, Maksim using a tablet, and Galina Mikhailovna flipping through a magazine.
“Finally,” her husband muttered. “Turn the internet back on.”
“And cook some dinner. Am I to do it alone?” her mother-in-law added.
Irina set down her bag, unplugged the router, and plugged it back in.
“We’ve been paid for the project. Three hundred thousand rubles.”
“Not bad,” Maksim nodded. “Now we can finally rest.”
The router lights flickered, bringing life back into the home.
Key Insight: Adjusting household dynamics is essential to preserving both professional dignity and family harmony.
“Help yourselves,” Irina stated. “But from now on, things will be different.”
“How different?” her mother-in-law questioned, wary.
“I rented an office for work. That’s where I feel respected.”
“But home is more convenient,” Maksim protested.
“Maybe it’s convenient for you. For me, it’s where my efforts are valued, not considered mere internet surfing.”
Her mother-in-law closed the magazine.
“Irina, perhaps I was wrong…”
“Not just what you said, but how. And not just once.”
The next day, Irina prepared to leave.
“And I’m taking the router with me. If you want internet, set up your own.”
Maksim sat on the bed’s edge, looking dejected.
“Will this last long?”
“I don’t know.”
“What if I find a job?”
“Then we’ll talk.”
Her mother-in-law appeared in the doorway.
“Maybe I was wrong… After my illness, it’s hard for me.”
“I understand,” Irina replied. “But it’s hard for me to work under shouting.”
“So should I be silent forever?”
“No, speak — but like to a person, not a servant.”
With her car keys in hand, Irina’s phone buzzed — a new client request.
“See you tonight. Cook dinner yourselves.”
The door closed softly, without a bang.
For the first time in three years, genuine silence filled the apartment.
“Sometimes preserving oneself and values means asserting boundaries and seeking respect.”
In summary, Irina’s story highlights the necessity of establishing personal space and respect between family and work life. By setting firm boundaries, individuals can protect their professional efforts while nurturing peaceful domestic environments.