At the risk of alienating all of the members of the woman's liberation movement, I have to say that I don't think that they have done women any favors. June Cleaver and Mrs. Cunningham had it made being stay-at-home moms. But this is 2008, and most of us have to choose between a great career and borderline poverty if we want to stay at home and raise our children. Is it really possible to be a professional working woman and a great mom too? Absolutely!
Anyone who has tried knows that being a mom is a full-time job. Even if you are the greatest scheduler in the world, there is always someone or something throwing a wrench in the mix. The kids have the flu and can't go to school, the science fair is tomorrow and Billy's volcano won't erupt, so you are up all night before your 9:00 a.m. presentation to the Board of Directors. You have 2 kids in cheerleading that have their first home game today and they really want you there. You know what I am talking about. It never ends and it is really stressful! You have thought about quitting and staying home. But you have a two income budget, years of college education that you paid dearly for, and a need to still use your skills.
The answer to all of this is to work from home. You have to change your perspective a little, but the benefits make any growing pains worthwhile. First of all, you will save tons of money by working from home. You don't have to buy suits and can work in your pajamas. If the baby throws up on you, there are no dry cleaning bills for your pajamas. You will save money on gas and commuting and at $4.00/gallon, those saving will add up quickly. Day care costs used to eat up the majority of my paycheck. Having to eat out on the run is less healthy and much more expensive than cooking real food from scratch at home. So while your initial concern might be how you will live without a full-time paycheck, you will find that your stay-at-home expenses are much lower than your working mom expenses.
Also in the money saving category, is that you will definitely save money on "guilt gifts". When I was working outside the home, I always felt guilty that my children didn't have a full-time mommy, so I was much more inclined to give in to the wishes of my children when we were out shopping. Not only is that bad for the budget, but it is really bad for your children to give them everything that they ask for. Among the benefits of being at home with your children is that they get to have YOU, not a caregiver, putting the Band-Aids on, watching and praising those first steps, helping with homework, sewing their prom dresses and teaching them to cook. The benefits to your children are endless. I don't mean to insult the work-away-from-home moms, but there is NO real substitute (except maybe Grandma) for you in your child's life and development. No one can be a better mommy to your children than you. All the experts in the world cannot take your place.
Okay, so now you are saying, "Sure this is a great idea, but is it really possible." It absolutely is. There are a few things that you have to do to make it successful, but you really can work at home. (Watch for future articles where I will get into the specifics of mommy time-management, budgeting for stay-at-home moms, and wealth building while changing diapers.) My children are all out of the diaper stage, so the new moms may think that I have it easier, but each stage of child development comes with its own set of blessings and challenges. FYI, I am a mother of seven adopted children, so I speak from experience, and have dealt with almost every possible parenting scenario.
Motherhood aside, anywhere that you research making money and building wealth, those who own their own businesses develop wealth much easier than those who work for someone else. Many business do have telecommuting opportunities these days, so depending upon your field of expertise, you may have some very viable work-at-home options through your employer. I never did. I worked for years part-time as an accountant going in very early or very late to work a few hours. But there was never enough money, and child care was ALWAYS an issue. The solution for me and for more and more moms is to have our own businesses. I actually have three businesses, and hope by the end of this year to get to the point where my husband can quit his job also and stay at home to help with my business and home-schooling the children.
Home based businesses are growing by leaps and bounds. The tax advantages to being a business owner are huge. To be successful, you must be organized and diligent. No one is going to pay you for watching soap operas, but you can write an article on your laptop during intermission at the ballet recital, or depending upon your business, network with other moms at the ball game. I listen to training cds in the van while we are traveling to do the grocery shopping, or go to the latest away game. I read motivational books in the 2 minutes a day that I get to be in the bathroom by myself. Three pages a day is over 1,000 pages a year of great reading!
Here is where I give you the call to action. You can keep doing what you are doing and stress over all the time you are not spending with your children, or you can start a home based business, and build wealth while raising really happy, healthy kids. It is possible! You don't have to give up your grownup career in order to play hopscotch with little Suzie. You can have the best of both worlds, and truly have it all. Start part-time if you are afraid to jump in with both feet. But give it a set, regular amount of time and consistently build your business until you can be both a full-time mom and a successful entrepreneur. I will be here cheering for you!
Mary Jo Clancy
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