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To Work at Home or Not

The question of whether to work from home or not has, undoubtedly, been a question posed by many mothers. This is a real dilemma! There are many factors to consider, as well as many pro's and con's. Today, we're going to take a look at what some of these are.

Some Factors:

Can I afford to stay at home? For many families mom makes the main income! Running a home business takes a lot of

dedication and time. More often then not, you don't see much income when you first start your home business. Would it be possible to stay home and keep up with bills?

What about insurance? Many people have full insurance coverage while out in the workforce. Would you and your family be able to get along with minimal-to-none insurance if need be? There are self-employed insurances out there, but again, it comes back to the time before you'd have a steady income from working at home.

Pro's to working from home:

*You would be there for your kids. There would be no question of what kind of values your children are picking up. You would be able to spend more time playing and training

them. They would have little reason to say "mom works all day and doesn't have time for me".

*If things aren't going your way with what you're working on, you can take a break! Often, there are many less deadlines when running your own business. Take a few minutes and take your kids outside to play!

*There are many more freedoms. No bosses telling you how to do something or when to do it. There are no bothersome co-workers. Work on your on schedule and time frame!

If you don't want to get dressed, don't! You aren't rushed to get out the door in the early morning!

*You wouldn't have to deal with the hustle and bustle of the world. No traffic jams, no idiot drivers, and we can work as much, or as little, as we like!

*Laundry, housework, dinner ... they all get taken care of through the day. There is no rushing to get it done in the few precious hours in the evening.

Con's to working from home:

*Your choice of what music you enjoy working with is taken away. Your music now consists of the theme to "Sesame Street" and "Barney".

*Your adult conversation is diminished to simple three or four word sentences. There is little stimulating conversation with a toddler!

*Work doesn't "stay at work" when you come home in the evening, it's always there! You go from a 9-5 job to one that lasts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!

*It's often hard to find the balance between family time and work time. It's very difficult to focus on the task at hand with cute little a distraction "Mommy can you ...".

*Often, there is stress while trying to make your business work. There is no one else to pick up the slack, and no one that you can "pass the buck" to. Your problems and errors are yours alone.

As you can see, there are many different issues to consider when trying to decide whether or not to work from home. It is a big decision, one that should not be entered into lightly. You need to sit down and decide what you want to get from doing this. List your pro’s and con’s, I’ve just named a few, there are many more. Looking at your list, decide if this is something that you can do. It is a big step, but if you follow your heart, you’ll make the best decision for your family.

Several years ago, I was a teacher. I loved what I did for a living. Once I had children, I had to address these very issues. I had the tough decision to make. I chose to stay home with my kids. Has it always been easy? NO! In fact some days I absolutely have to remind myself of the pro's! But, one thing I do know for sure: I wouldn't trade this career for anything in the world! I love being able to watch my kids grow up full time. It won't be long before they're grown and moving away. These years are so few and precious! I feel that my choice to work from home was the best choice that I ever made!

Sonya Herford is has been a Work-at-home-mom now for 4 years. She and her husband own
http://www.treasurechestcollectibles.com

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