Parents, the dream job often begins as something you can do from the comfort of your home. You imagine balancing your professional and personal life by being constantly available for your children. This means no more sick days, no more missed field trips or Valentine’s Day parties at school, and always being able to take your kids to baseball practice and dance class. Many parents who work outside the home beat themselves up for missing so many moments with their children, struggling to find enough help from friends or family to get things done. These parents dream of working from home!
However, this endeavor can be challenging because the majority of work-at-home options are multi-level marketing scams that tempt you to harass your friends or involve businesses that require significant upfront costs. By the time you realize it isn’t going to work for you, you may have a garage full of unsold merchandise and few friends or family members who want to be around you anymore. That said, there are legitimate opportunities, especially if you can convince your employer to allow you to telecommute or if you have a special skill set that enables you to freelance. Remember that for working from home to be successful, you must be able to work—which can be the hard part when combined with raising a family.
Challenges of Working from Home
Before you jump up and leave your brick-and-mortar office, complete with co-workers, lunchtime meetings at real restaurants, and a thick office door that closes when you need quiet, realize that working from home isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be. For one thing, there are the kids. The same children you want to be home with and be available for will slowly but surely drive you crazy. While you may think you’re working from home, they see you as constantly available. If boundaries aren’t set early on, they will hound you for help with homework, finding clean underwear, or just pull up a chair to chat. In the middle of your work, this can be very frustrating, and setting boundaries can lead to feelings of guilt. Even if the kids are old enough to leave you alone for an hour or so, chances are that trumpet practice in the kitchen, fighting, phone calls, and video games will irritate you just as easily. You will quickly realize that being at home makes it difficult to focus on work. This can be disastrous to your work-from-home dream.
Another aspect that many people desiring to park their careers at home don’t foresee is the loneliness. You essentially become a stay-at-home parent who works on the side, lacking face-to-face contact with other adults in your profession that can keep you competitive and sane. If you are telecommuting, you miss the day-to-day happenings of the office, may be easily overlooked as a contributor, and might find that you have to work twice as hard to maintain your presence. There’s also a good chance you will be passed over for advancements and lose your connection to the higher-ups who keep you informed about office dynamics. These issues can completely derail your career if you can’t balance both worlds.
On the flip side, working from home offers conveniences that are hard to beat. There’s no traffic, you can see your kids off to school, and you never have to scramble for a sitter when a stomach virus hits at 4 a.m. on a school night. You can even spend your day in your pajamas if needed. You can make yourself available to your children and keep a close eye on what is happening in their lives without missing a beat. Being home for dinner, watching your daughter’s talent show, seeing your son score his first touchdown, and knowing you are accessible when needed most is a powerful feeling as a parent.
The key to a successful work-from-home setup is to maintain boundaries and be frugal with your time scheduling. Making the most of your time is crucial. If you manage things well, you will accomplish ten times as much both professionally and personally than you ever thought possible. However, if you become lackadaisical and drop the ball too many days in a row, you will quickly become overwhelmed. Communicate with your family and establish firm limits (without guilt), and even consider hiring a sitter to watch the kids at home, under your watchful eyes and ears. There will be times when you need to enforce boundaries and say, “Mommy or Daddy is WORKING,” expecting your family to appreciate your efforts and give you space. If your children are young, you may also have to adjust to working from home with a baby on your lap or while Dora and Diego search for new adventures in the background. Even so, it is worth it if you have the mindset and discipline to make it work.
