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 come with 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.
copyright 2000 by Sharon Davis.
Sharon Davis is the Mother of two girls, the Editor of
www.2Work-At-Home.com and the
owner of
2Work-At-Home.com Resume Services. In her spare time she reminisces
about what it was like to have spare time. Subscribe to her site's free
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