Are you thinking of leaving the 9 to 5 world to become a work-at-home parent? I bet you have a lot of questions. I’ve been working from home while raising our two kids since 2009 and Dave joined me as a work-at-home dad in 2014. I’m happy to say it’s one of the best decisions we’ve ever made.
If you’re unsure whether to take this leap here’s a list of 7 benefits of becoming a work-at-home parent and how they can change your life.
Flexibility
The flexibility it’s allowed us over the years has been beyond rewarding. We’ve been able to attend all of our kids school events (art shows, plays, concerts, class parties, awards ceremonies) and all of their after-school events too (soccer games, flag football games, baseball games, basketball games, gymnastics classes, volleyball tournaments, golf lessons, and more). It also allowed us to be taxi drivers for our kids, driving them anywhere and everywhere :) And to take family vacations on our own schedule which has created unforgettable memories that we’ll cherish forever.
More Time With Your Kids
This one is a bit similar to the one benefit above – but it’s important to mention it seperately. Your kids are only little for so long, and believe me that time flies! Our kids are in high school now and I feel like I just blinked and they grew up. So you want to make sure you spend as much time with them as you can for as long as you can. Once they get to high school and start driving they’ll have their own lives and there are many days where we all won’t be home at the same time until late evening. Becoming a work-at-home parent allows you to spend loads of time with them when they are young and you won’t regret it for a minute.
Money Saving
Yes, becoming work-at-home parents actually saved us money. We didn’t have to pay for daycare or babysitting. Childcare costs are one of the biggest expenses for families and not having to pay for this helped us save thousands of dollars over the years. And by working for ourselves or remotely for other companies, that flexibility I mentioned above, enabled us to schedule meetings when they fit into our schedule. If there ever came a time when Dave had to be on a meeting, I was available to be with the kids, and vice versa.
We also saved money because for many years we only needed one car and we also didn’t have the expenses of commuting to and from work every day either.
Increased Productivity
When you are a work-at-home parent you become a pro at time management. You have to write a full report during nap time? No problem. You need to get lunch together before a 12pm conference call. No sweat. You’ll find that you get much more done in far less time then when you were at the office. Don’t forget there are distractions at the office too. Just going to grab that second cup of coffee could lead to 4-5 conversations with co-workers on the way there and back. Instead you just pop into your own kitchen grab your cup of coffee and are back working on that report or making lunch in no time.
Increased Job Satisfaction
If you are becoming a work-at-home parent and working for yourself, you’ll probably find a much higher rate of job satisfaction. Chances are good, you are doing something you love. There will be pressures and stresses, for sure, but to be able to work on daily tasks that have meaning to you, will make you much happier then checking off a list of tasks robotically. At the same time, you may be working remotely for someone else. We’ve done this too and we’ve found it can be just as satisfying. It offers it’s own sense of freedom which, in turn can make doing tasks you would being doing in the office much more satisfying.
No Need To Dress Up (in most cases)
When you become a work-at-home parent you can wear whatever you want. There will always be times to dress a little more professionally – if you are on a conference call, an important client meeting, etc. But for the most part work-from-home job attire is far more casual then when you are in the office. You can sit around in your joggers or jeans all day, and if you like comfy hoodies and tee’s then they can be your daily wardrobe. It’s nice not having to worry about wrinkled dress pants and dry cleaning bills.
Work-Life Balance/Sense of Fulfillment
These two go hand-in-hand. When you work-from-home, you are generally have more control over your schedule and can achieve a work-life balance. Something that is often difficult to attain when you are working in an office as a parent. Between being away all day, the stresses of office life, and then the commutes to and from, you may often find yourself wishing you could be home with your family. As a work-at-home parent you can set a schedule that works for you, with the flexiblity of adapting for both work meetings and kids diaper changes when needed. You get to spend time with your kids all day while still being productive at work (thanks to those great time-management skills mentioned above) which all leads to a wonderful sense of fulfillment.
While these are just some of the benefits of being a work-at-home parent, Dave and I realize that working from home with kids does have many challenges of it’s own. We also know it’s not a fit for everyone. Some parents are much happier going into a 9-5 job and they feel revitalized by getting out of the house and spending the day with adults allowing them to come home refreshed for their families. We have done both, and for us the rewards of being a work-at-home parent have been so great we wanted to share these benefits with you because we know making the decision to become a work-at-home parent is a big one but we are here to support you along the way.
Keep your eyes out for many more posts about working from home ahead. We are just getting started and can’t wait to share everything we’ve learned with you!
