The Good, Bad, and Ugly of Working at Home

Working at home when you have children can bring a certain movie title to mind: specifically, "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly."

The Good: You get to stay home with your kids, and you're the one raising them not someone else. Being with your kids can give you peace of mind. You have some cash of your own and don't have to rely solely on your spouse-you feel like you're contributing to the household finances and maybe even have some fun money. You don't have to commute. You don't have to go to senseless meetings (and, unfortunately, most meetings are senseless). You don't have to wear heels (big hurray!). You save money in clothes, shoes, lunches, and gas and maintenance for your car. You get to choose when and for whom you'll work (you get bored with a client, decide you don't like them, or decide the work isn't for you, it's history without having to do a major change!). You have more flexibility to work in a wide variety of areas than you would have at most jobs (and may get to work on things you've been interested in but your old boss wouldn't give you the opportunity to do).

The Bad: You don't have co-workers with whom you can commiserate and socialize. Working at home on your own can be even more isolating because you have even less time for socializing with other parents or your friends. You have less time to spend with your kids than you would if you weren't working. You have to learn how to work while still making sure your children don't do harm to themselves, each other, the pets, or your house. You're less patient with your kids. Depending on when you do your work, you have less time with your spouse. The house is likely to suffer a bit too since housework is going to get moved even further down the priority list. You'll probably have to lower your standards a bit when it comes to serving home cooked meals (some of the prepared meals in the freezer section at the store aren't that bad, though!).

The Ugly: Sometimes (luckily it'll probably be rare), you're going to run into clients that don't pay you then you're going to have to hassle with fighting to get your money.