The project I was working on was way overdue and, of course, the phone rang.

“Daddy, come and get me from school. My tummy is upset,” Jesse said over the phone.

Within 20 minutes I had Jesse comfortably in her bed with some storybooks while I was back at work in the next room. The ability to be there for my kids is the primary reason I gave up my job six years ago in the corporate sector to work at home. While working at home has many benefits, there are some downsides as well.

When I first started working at home, the noise and interruptions when the kids were around used to drive me crazy. I have learned to adjust my schedule to take an extended break when they come home from school. Now I really look forward to the 20 minutes to half an hour of munching on cookies and chatting with them about their day. Afterward, they get to their homework, and I get to mine.

Problems with homework are usually dealt with after supper. However, if we’re busy that evening, we try to talk about homework during our cookie break or shortly after. It took some time, but the kids learned that I couldn’t do things for them or play with them until after supper.

One of the temptations when working at home is to work all the time or to have an erratic schedule. It’s very important to keep a block of official “non-work” time – between 6 and 9 in the evening, for instance – for your family and yourself.

I used to work out of a corner in the family room, and that made me a tempting target for asking questions or settling disputes. I now have a separate office with a door, which makes it much easier to send the message: “Do not disturb Dad at work.”

While trying to protect your time and space for work, you run the risk of becoming a big old grouch, as my daughter once told me. After all, it’s their home and not just a place of business. I had to adjust the way I worked and my attitudes about work, and I had to stop worrying about the dog barking or a kid yelling while I was on the phone.

As I recall, there were a lot of noises and plenty of distractions and interruptions in a “real” workplace. But no all-important cookie breaks with my kids. Soon enough, they’ll be off to college or at jobs, and things will be too quiet for this dad working at home.

Both comments and pings are currently closed.

Comments are closed.