7 Reasons to Embrace Being a Work at Home Mom
Some women dream of being a work at home mom. They spend
months or even years planning out the business that they will run from home, or
they work in a field where they know they can easily switch to telecommuting.
However, some women fall into being a work at home mom. It comes about due to
circumstances or the need for a second income or simply so that they don’t go crazy hearing the Baby Shark song for
the forty-second time today. For those women, the transition to being a work at
home mom can be a little rougher.
No matter how or why you start working from home, there are
many reasons to embrace this lifestyle.
1. Fewer Distractions
Yes, I know. You have kids. Some days, it seems like they wake
up with the plan to distract you running through their cute little heads. But hear me out.
With kids, you can control the distractions. Sure, you may
need to cram every bit of work into the twenty-two minute Caillou episode your kid is currently watching, but it’s a lot
better than sitting down to a large project only to have your cubicle mate
start humming Christmas songs in April. You know you’re not going to get any
work done once their screen time is up, and you can plan accordingly. You end
up less frustrated because you aren’t trying to work when you know it’s
impossible.
2. Being the Boss Is All it’s Cracked Up to Be
Being the boss rocks. When you’re in charge, you feel like
you have more control over your life. It’s easier to schedule around
commitments. I have a friend who missed her oldest child’s first day of school
because she couldn’t get the day off work. Today, she owns a marketing company,
and she never misses a school function.
Sometimes, being the boss is overwhelming and crazy, and
stressful, but that’s far outweighed by the
benefits.
3. As Your Business Grows, So Do Other Businesses
As a small business owner, you will probably need outside
help at some point. While most small business owners wear many hats, there
comes a time when you must outsource web design, or social media management, or
search engine optimization. You may even decide to hire a virtual assistant. When that time comes, you get to support other
small business owners. By being a work at home mom, you are creating a cycle of
economic improvement for dozens of entrepreneurs.
4. You Have Flexibility
One of the biggest reasons that women become stay at home
moms is because they need flexibility. Like my friend who missed her kid’s
first day of school, you need to be able to take time away on your schedule. Being an entrepreneur gives
you that freedom. Maybe you need to be able to work evenings instead of daytime
hours. Perhaps you have doctor’s appointments or therapies to take your
children to. Whatever your reasons for
needing flexibility, being a work at home mom gives you that.
5. The Pajamas
Hands down, the best reason to become a stay at home mom is
the ability to hang out in your PJs all day long. When I quit my last corporate
job, I made a vow that I would never wear pantyhose again. Now, I get to hang
out in my comfortable pajamas until it’s time to pick the kids up at the bus
stop. There’s not much I would trade that for!
6. Netflix
Let’s face it. There’s downtime at every job. At your
corporate job, your downtime may be spent
staring out the window or sharing gossip at the coffee machine, but you do have
some downtime. When you work at home, downtime means you can watch whatever you
want on Netflix instead of listening to Karen from accounting talk about her
boyfriend.
7. The Coffee is Better
Why do you think Starbucks is so popular? It’s because
corporate coffee sucks. However, as a
work at home mom, you get to choose the coffee. Plus, you have all of your
favorite creamers, and you can use the coffee mug that corporate culture might
find inappropriate.
While some of these reasons are silly, there are many
benefits to becoming a stay at home mom. In most cases, owning your own
business that you run from home gives you the most options for financial
security without needing to be as reliant on daycare. Plus, you are helping other women become stay
at home moms through your success!
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