“Why Women Still Can’t Have It All,” a recent Atlantic article by Anne-Marie Slaughter, is everywhere I turn lately, as are opinions, criticisms, and questions about it. If you’ve taken time to read through the lengthy, well-researched piece, you’ll undoubtedly form your own opinions as well, and if you’re like me, contemplate how your own personal and professional life stack up to what you consider success.

Naturally, the title of Ms. Slaughter’s article is designed to spark controversy and debate, and the ambiguity in what “having it all” actually means has significantly contributed to its status as a hot-button topic. Many responses have been published, both in print and online, about the many aspects of Ms. Slaughter’s argument. Because this is a blog post and not a novel, I won’t delve into the cloudy-yet-ultimately-personal definitions of “success” and “having it all.” Instead, I would like to focus on one particular aspect which, though not directly mentioned in the article, may be at the core of her theory: the issue of trust.

Ms. Slaughter contends that there needs to be an overhaul of the way work is structured.  The expectation of the traditional work-week schedule, complete with travel and extra hours, is no longer appropriate for most adults. She references an argument made by Sheryl Sandberg, that current work and school schedules were created in a predominantly agrarian era: “The present system, [Sandberg] noted, is based on a society that no longer exists—one in which farming was a major occupation and stay-at-home moms were the norm. Yet the system hasn’t changed.” Instead of holding the employee who works seventy-plus hours a week up as a model of career dedication – and by extension success – companies need to accommodate (and even celebrate) employees whose quality of work reflects career dedication.

But therein lies an inherent problem of assessing quality: it is neither easily, nor objectively measured. It’s easy to assume someone works hard if he or she is always at the office (remember that Seinfeld episode where George left his car at work?). But when employees work a flex schedule, or from home, people ask questions. How much do they work? How hard to they work? Are they actually working?

In a blog post for the Harvard Business Review, Tony Schwartz responded to Ms. Slaughter’s article, and pondered the very questions I’ve raised above. He mentions examples of two female executives, both of whom work from home some of the time. While he admits that he doesn’t know how they work when they are at home, he focuses on that which he does know: that they are productive and provide “extraordinary value” to the company.

Schwartz goes on to point out that adults need to be treated as such: trusted as working professionals who can and should be expected to work productively, regardless of where and when our work takes place. The Wall Street Journal recently touched on this idea with an article exploring the growth of the boss-free workplace. This practice, of teams of workers making decisions and elimination of middle management, has been found to be effective for companies like G.L. Gore (of Gore-Tex fame) and divisions of General Electric Co.

Clearly, the shift in workplace constructs that Ms. Slaughter envisions is possible. But in the business and professional world, changes like these are slow. And they are built on a value of trust that may not feel natural to some who are accustomed to the “old way” of working.

As a self-employed working mother, I have an advantage, in Ms. Slaughter’s opinion. She believes that women like me are in a better position to “have it all” – at least until the corporate and political realms catch up. This may be the case, at least in terms of managing time. I made the choice to do this kind of work because of the lifestyle I want. It’s neither fancy nor consistently lucrative – but it’s something I love to do, and it provides me the opportunity to be with the people I love.

I have a mobile office. Sometimes it’s a coffee shop, other days the library. Today I’m seated on my neatly-made bed, surrounded by files, newspapers and my laptop. I can hear my husband entertaining my daughter in the next room while he prepares her lunch. And look at me – trusting myself to get a lot of work done, and I’m the only boss in sight.