Working from Home with Kids: How to Handle Those Who Don't Think You Are Working

Are you a work-at-home parent? If you are, there is a good chance that you receive multiple calls from your friends or your family members while you are trying to work. Some may simply just want to talk, but others may want you to do favors for them, like watch their children. While it can be frustrating to deal with, it is something that you should deal with, as many work-at-home parents who do nothing often end up in a situation that is difficult to control.

As it was previously mentioned, one of the most common problems that many work-at-home parents face is those who want them to watch their kids, often free of charge. Of course, the decision as to whether or not you want to do so is yours to make, but you may want to look at the whole picture. If you regularly offer to watch the children of someone that you know, especially free of charge, you will likely be called upon more than you are willing to handle. However, if you are like many other work-at-home parents, you may feel guilty saying no, but you shouldn't at all.

As previously mentioned, the decision as to whether or not you want to baby-sit the kids of someone that you know is yours to make, but you may want to establish some ground rules. For instance, you could mention to your friend, family member, or neighbor that you would be more than happy to help them out, but only once a week or even just once a month. Stating that you have a work schedule to follow, ahead of time, is nice, as it tends to limit the amount that you are taken advantage of. With that in mind however, if you would just like to spend your time working from home or with your own children; just say so. There is no rule saying that you must be a home based worker, a parent, and a babysitter all at the same time.

As for friends or family members who call you when you are trying to work, it is your decision as to whether or not you even want to answer the phone. In all honesty, that is nice about caller id. You can tell who is calling and then call them back when you have a free minute. If someone urgently needs you; there is a good chance that they would keep on calling until you answered the phone. If the person trying to reach you later asked how come you didn't answer their telephone call simply state it was because you were working. In the corporate word, phone calls at work could actually get an employee fired; so why should it be any different for you just because you work at home?

No matter which situation you are faced with, there are always a number of different ways to handle friends, family members, or neighbors who can't seem to understand that you are trying to work from home. The reality is that although you may be working from home with your kids, you are still working.