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The Downsides To Being A Work-at-home Mom

by: JessicaFranks
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The fax machine's shrill tone broke into the still silent room. I leaped to grab the receiver and terminate the transmission; having just managed to put my fussy teething baby down for his nap, I was determined that nothing would disturb his rest. Unfortunately, that fax had been from my client. Now I'd have to call him back and ask him to re-send after I'd turned the ringer off. That would entail some over-the-phone \"face time\", where he'd pick my brain for several minutes, or just shoot the breeze while I itched to get some work done while the baby slept.

Being a full-time mother and working from home has many challenges. Originally, it seemed like the best idea ever. I could still be brining in money while at the same time being able to attend "Mommy and Me" groups. I am a dedicated worker, and I knew the baby had to sleep sometime. It sounded like a great idea, but there were two major problems. My new baby was really fussy, and I had to hold him for a long time for him to get to sleep. Besides that, my best customer required even more coddling than the baby, and I had to talk to him on the phone for long periods of time.

It's hard when you're a work from home mom. You never know who comes first ??" the baby or the client. I finally had to put my foot down one day. The client and I had just had a long conversation, so I went to take care of the baby. He seemed a little feverish, and right when I was taking his temperature, the phone rang and the answering machine called out, "Hello? Are you still there? Did you go somewhere? Hello?" That was the last straw.

I was to blame for allowing the customer to take up all my time. Therefore, I had to fix the problem by forcing myself to become more efficient or else I would continue this problem. Everything became easier once I told my clients that I would only be working after 10:00 p.m. They could email or fax me during the day, but I would actually only be working at night. That way, I could take care of my baby while he was awake and totally focus on their projects when I was working. It also helped cure my clients of keeping me on the phone with marathon calls.

What are the pitfalls of working at home and being a mother? Time management. I established set times each day when I'd return phone calls one per client. It forced all of us to become much more streamlined and focused in our work, which ultimately did us all good. I was able to create higher quality work and my clients found that their invoices were lower since I wasn't charging for all the interruptions.

The new schedule soon became comfortable for both me and my clients. I got quite good at producing a good amount of work in a short time, and the house was better cared for because my newly developed time management skills. Everything changed, however, when the baby became a toddler. Morning naps were no longer taken, and even though his afternoon naps lasted longer, I was so worn out from chasing him around, I couldn't get anything done.

What makes it hard to be a work at home mom? Being too rigid with my time. Flexibility is a crucial component of managing both work and home. Letting my little one play outside for a few hours daily allowed him to expend pent up energy, and it let me ease up from always having to follow after him cleaning up his toys and messes.

Now my teenagers (yes, I have more than one) are easier to handle. After 15 years of working at home, I now mainly handle a few writing and editing jobs. With all the technological advances in those 15 years, I can now service clients whom I've never even met, which certainly saves me wear and tear on my car as well as gas money. And although my children can take of themselves now, I still prefer to do most of my work at night. That way, I can still work while my little ones sleep.

About the Author

If you are looking to make extra money from home, then make sure you check out Jessica's free movie about jobs for stay at home moms, and work for stay home moms.

The Downsides To Being A Work-at-home Mom

About the Author

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