Cereal Mom
by Sharon Davis
Cereal Mom
By Sharon Davis
I recently heard a woman say that being called a "work at home
mom" was professionally demeaning. Being one myself, my initial
reaction was to agree with her. "That’s right, I’m a
professional, I’m not just a bored housewife dabbling with a
hobby here," I said to myself.
Upon reflection however, I came to realize that I disagree.
Deeply.
Working out of your home while caring for children makes for
some unique (and comical) situations. If you can’t have a
sense of humor about these things, then maybe a field job is
more your style.
But let’s face it, just how professional can you be when much of
your work is done with a toddler on your lap? And that is,
after all, one of the great benefits of working at home; you can
consult with clients wearing bunny slippers if you like. Who’s
to know? Sometimes we just need to keep things in perspective.
I know that the work that I do is top quality, and I don’t sweat
what others think of my work environment.
But I do wonder how that woman deals with some of those little
challenges that comewith being a work-at-home parent.
For example, maybe she feels that going out of the house with
soggy Cheerios stuck to her behind would be professionally
demeaning. She must have found a way to avoid this. I should
call her...
Not being able to locate a pen because they’re all in use
fishing Barbie clothes out of the toilet. This might be seen as
unprofessional.
Or, while trying to convince a potential client how you would be
the best choice if he’s looking for quality, professional
results your 2-year-old is proclaiming proudly, "I went poo-poo
Mommy!" over and over.
I've known others who have tried to mask their true work
environments using some creative metaphors. For example:
"As soon as my colleague completes his current assignment"
really means..."As soon as my 5-year-old is done with his Mr.
Potato Head CDRom"
"We'll be outsourcing the finishing work" really means..."My
teenaged daughter will be earning her allowance by collating and
stapling your reports"
"I have an urgent matter to attend to" really means..."My
3-year-old has been awfully quiet for the past few minutes and
she was recently asking for a haircut"
Does this mean I should lock my kids in their rooms while I’m on
the phone? While that can at times seem like a perfectly
sensible idea, usually basic time management helps to
avoid these situations. My view is that if a client thinks that
the quality of my work will be less just because I have
children, he can look elsewhere.
Maybe I’m shutting the door on some business, but I refuse to
have my children feel that they come second. And I do, in fact,
think of myself as a Mom first, and a business owner second.
Besides, I think that the day is getting nearer that people
really won’t mind their projects delivered with a few soggy
Cheerios on them.
About the Author
--------------------------
Sharon Davis is the Mother of two girls, the owner of
http://www.2Work-At-Home.Com and the Editor of the site's
monthly ezine, America's Home. In her spare time she reminisces
about what it was like to have spare time.
Subscribe to her free ezine here:
http://www.2work-at-home.com/ezine/subscribe/ezines.shtml
Learn Even More - Join the Free Baby Tips Newsletter Now
Privacy Policy: Rest assured once you join Baby Tips knowing that your information will never be given out, rented or sold. We value your privacy. And, should you ever wish to leave you can do so simply and easily with one quick click in any email.
Click the Books to Visit these Valuable Baby Resources Below
Other Valuable Resources
100 Baby Names
365 Kids Crafts
Baby Shower Kit
Parenting Secrets
Pregnancy Without Pounds
Science Fair Projects
Sign Language for
Babys
Starting a Day Car
Center
Stop Child Bedwetting
Sudoku Logic Puzzles
Yahoo! News Search Results for children
Yahoo! News Search Results for children
Children?s Bookshelf (New York Times)
More children?s books reviewed.
Children of Invention (2008) (New York Times)
Crystal Chiu and Michael Chen in ?Children of Invention.? Restraint proves a virtue of ? and a shrewd if necessary choice for ? ?Children of Invention,? a modestly scaled, quietly effective independent movie about a struggling single mother and her two children.
Police: Ohio man hit children at store for thrill (AP via Yahoo! News)
Police in Ohio say a man accused of striking children in the head with a key protruding from his fist while roaming a Walmart store did it for the thrill.
Queen invented the phone, and other odd UK children's beliefs (BBC News)
Children's strange misconceptions about science are revealed in a science knowledge quiz.
Repair of torn knee meniscus at the time of ACL reconstruction is safe and ef...
( American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine ) Eighty-four percent of children 18 and younger had successful clinical outcomes during an eight year follow-up to repair a torn meniscus (cartilage that provides cushioning to distribute your body weight across the knee joint) at the same time as reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament, according to a new study presented today at the ...
Newsfeed display by CaRP
Home |
Baby Tips Newsletter | Baby Articles | Baby Resources | Contact |
|
