A dad who is too distracted by work can contribute to behavior problems in kids, but children benefit by mom's involvement in her work. They're more likely to see the value of working hard at school, for example. Sufficient relaxation is crucial for working mothers. With that comes an enhanced capacity to attend to kids' needs. The brain works in odd ways.
People get their best ideas driving, in the shower, jogging, brushing their teeth.
So maybe you get yours playing catch or reading Goodnight, Moon . Skip the guilt, and pat yourself on the back for your being so efficient. You can be too rich or too thin. And it sounds like this reader's privileged status is the cause of more whining than is really justified. Some interesting research says African-American working moms aren't suffering from this epidemic of baseless guilt.