Musings of a Work at Home Mom

Before I started my career as a freelance writer, I imagined all work at home moms to be glamorously clad in satin pajamas, tapping away at their laptops for a mere hour or two before clocking out for the day and hitting the gym.

Boy, was I wrong!

When I got the chance to become a work at home mom, I jumped at it. This was the job I'd been waiting for. I'd get to set my own hours, be available to my kids, and play my music as loud as I wanted while I typed away. Never again would I fear lop-sided morning hair. I'd shun toe-pinching work shoes. Sweats and a t-shirt would be my uniform. I would become the icon for work at home moms everywhere. I would live the dream.

The reality was hard work, long hours, and a tendency to let myself become distracted or bored. Plus, I had to face some ugly truths about my skills as a manager: namely, I didn't have any. I over-scheduled myself, or I didn't allow myself enough time for marketing my services and tracking down job leads. This led to late nights where I found myself explaining to the kids that even though Mommy was "home", she wasn't available. It was a mess!

I soon learned the value of setting office hours and sticking to them. If you're a new work at home mom, give yourself regular breaks. Fill your other work hours with productivity. Then you won't feel guilty about shutting off the computer in the evening and enjoying time with your family. (And don't even think about checking your e-mail "just one more time".) Keep your family time separate and sacred.

Make time to visit with other grown-ups, too. Work at home moms don't get the social contact they'd get at a traditional office job. This was actually one of my major stumbling blocks. I'm not an extrovert by nature, but my friends at my old job had really drawn me out of my shell. Working at home made me feel isolated. I got so lonely that I started turning on radio talk shows or morning news programs just to hear another person's voice.

Some work at home moms don't mind being solitary. For the rest of us, making lunch dates with our friends or spouses can really help us feel like ourselves again. Weekends and early mornings are good times to catch up. Just be firm with friends who assume that you're available to chat just because you're home all day. They need to understand that calling you during your office hours is the same as calling someone at work.

Work at home moms, remember this: commuting to the office does not a "real" job make. Your job is just as real as anything that gets done inside a cubicle. Don't forget that, and don't let your loved ones forget it either.

Becoming a work at home mom was nothing like I expected. The freedom to be my own boss came with a host of responsibilities. It was an awkward fit at first, but now it feels like home. And, to my surprise, I found that working in my pajamas was vastly overrated; I take my job much more seriously when I'm properly dressed.