I make $4,500 a month and I still can't explain it to my mother

My mother called me last Saturday while I was on a Zoom standup. I muted myself, picked up, and she asked me one question: "Jide, when will you get a real job?"

I told her I have a job. She said "the one you're doing on laptop in your room?" I've been at this US startup for two years. The pay hits my account in dollars. I send her 20% every month, and she thinks it's naira. She doesn't know the exchange rate math because I never told her. 1 USD is ₦1,360 now. She thinks I'm managing.

The thing is, she's not wrong to worry. My guy in Yaba got laid off from a Lagos fintech last year and spent four months pretending to go to work. His wife only found out when the rent was due. So when my mother asks if I have a "real job," she's asking if I'm safe. I just don't know how to explain that safety in 2026 looks like a laptop and a prayer.

How do you explain remote work to a Nigerian parent who equates office with legitimacy?