The Joys And Hazards Of Work-at-home Moms

Who wouldn’t think being able to make an income while also staying home to raise your children wasn’t the perfect situation? While you work on your computer, your well-behaved toddler happily entertains himself at your feet. Or you can be closing that big deal over the phone with a client while also icing your child’s birthday cupcakes. Those are some of the idyllic situations everyone seems to picture when they first consider working from home. It’s perfect. You can have it all without any fuss, right?

Well, not so fast. The reality that work-at-home moms often face can very different. A child’s schedule isn’t predictable. You might be constantly interrupted from your work at the computer, turning a 5 to 10 minute task in an office setting into an hour-long ordeal. And your precious toddler might decide to throw an ear-splitting tantrum a few minutes into that important call with your most important client.

But despite the pitfalls, more and more women are finding ways to successfully work from home. How do they balance their job and their role as mother when it all happens under the same roof? What are the pitfalls? And how to you overcome them?

One of the biggest challenges is scheduling time to actually get the work done. Some moms find that they have to hire a babysitter or a nanny to watch the kids so they can work without interruption. While this works in some instances, it is a costly solution that can severely reduce your earnings. Instead of hiring a babysitter, an older child may be able to watch the younger ones while you work. This, too, is not without its pitfalls. You will still be interrupted when arguments and disagreements arise between the siblings.

Children aren’t the only ones who will interrupt your work. If you have pets at home, you’ll often be pulled away from your desk to tend to their needs as well. One mom who runs a lucrative business with on-line auctions quickly learned that her dog would go crazy whenever the delivery van would come to the house. She would have to settle down her dog down, who was barking loud enough to cause permanent hearing loss, while also having to deal with the delivery man and keep her children happy. But what can she do? Her children love that dog. And so does she.

One way to find some uninterrupted work time is to work at night when the children are all tucked into their beds. Some moms find jobs that give them the flexibility to do this such as bookkeeping or taking customer service calls at night. This is not a cure all, however. You need to take care of yourself and get the sleep your body needs. Otherwise, you’ll be facing the next day cranky and drowsy. If you do decide to work at night, don’t forget that afternoon naps can be just as refreshing for adults as it is for your kids.

Sometimes it is the job itself that can cause pitfalls when working from home. Employers often undervalue the work work-at-home moms do. And some even claim poor quality and reject the work just to get out of paying for the work at all. Not only that, only rarely will you find a position that offers healthcare benefits, other insurance benefits, and retirement plans. It is up to you to budget and plan for your elder years.

In addition to the interruptions, the low pay, and lack of benefits, perhaps the toughest pitfall facing work-at-home moms is the lack of adult contact. No longer will you be able to pop into your coworker’s office and chat about the latest television show or to seek help on a task you’ve undertaken. Your children will be more interested in the bug they found outside, or the video they want to watch for the hundredth time, or to give you big hugs with their candy-coated sticky fingers than in your work. Well, I suppose that’s a pitfall most moms would gladly accept.