Parenting Tips for Work-at-Home Pros

Parenting Tips for Work-at-Home Pros
Susan Morgan is a freelancer, mother of three, a guest blogger for My Dog Ate My Blog, and a writer on accredited online colleges for the Guide to Online Schools.

Working from the comfort of your home brings some unique challenges, both in terms of work and parenting the children that have, very likely, brought you to this point. The rewards, getting to be there on sick days and snow days (and all the days in between) are well worth the adjustments you’ll be making in the way you work and in the way you parent.
You’ve brought your work space into the place where you and your family live. Planning your time and the ability to be flexible are your watchwords now. Work/Life balance is a special challenge to the work at home parent… it’s all too easy to get caught up in deadlines and responsibilities and forget the reason you opted out of the office in the first place.
So how do you parent as you want to, and still get things done? Here are some tips from a work at home writer who’s been there, done that… and survived. (So have the kids.)

• Set aside a dedicated workspace that is yours alone and be sure your kids (even toddlers) understand that they cannot play here. If you must make your work area in a busy part of the house, have a bin/basket or other organizer to put your things away, and out of danger, when work is done. Stick with this, and you’ll avoid having meeting notes become the background for an art project, or find your favorite gadget broken, sticker covered or otherwise altered.

• Schedule some specific time to pay attention to your children, without work. Whether it’s breakfast (or lunch) together, a half hour after they get off the bus or another chunk of time that happens regularly, make this a part of your day that you don’t give up… no matter what. Not only does it give the kids a dedicated time to ask questions or update you (if you’re lucky) on their day, but when the time comes, you’ll be able to focus on work without feeling like you’re missing out or disappointing the kids.

• Use the mute button on your phone to keep the routine sounds of home (dogs barking, sibling arguments, lawns being mowed) from being picked up by those on the other end of the line. This will make it easier to attend to your children without letting the entire meeting know what kind of juice your toddler likes best. Using this handy feature, and using it liberally, is a smart way to be available for work (and your little one) at the same time.

• Arrange reliable childcare, whether it’s trading babysitting with another work-at-home mom, hiring a local teen for afternoons, or taking advantage of grandparents or other family members to keep the kids entertained so that you can focus on work. If this isn’t an option, plan activities (or TV watching) so that your kids are doing something they enjoy while you work… if they’re having fun, you’re far less likely to be interrupted. Trust me on this.

• Talk to your child (even toddler age) about work and what it means. Try to help children understand what is and what it is not (a call for interruption.) More juice or a battle over a TV show must be settled by the parties involved.

Working from home is truly the best of both worlds, but it is by no means easy or effortless. You still have to work at being a good parent while also being a value to a business or your employer. That doesn’t change no matter where you work or what you do.