Ask a Baby Blogger: Working at Home with a Baby

by Valorie Delp | More from this Blogger

04 May 2008 12:08 PM

Question: I know you have twins, can you tell me how it is to work at home with a baby? Is it easier or harder than going to work?

I'm kind of chuckling as I'm writing this. Do you want to hear about the time that I had just finished a grant writing project and my baby puked all over it? The countless days when the twins cried and fussed and took turns needing to be held where I got nothing done? Or the number of days where I got to the computer to write and I was so tired that nothing intelligible came out? (Note: My editors know that I don't write at night. You would be shocked to see how drastically my grammar deteriorates during the day.)

But here's the thing--it's very important to me that I stay home with my children from infancy through the teen years. That's simply what my husband and I wanted to do--so we make it work. I have to say though that to my mother in law and father in law, it was very important that she stay home with her children as well. So she worked nights as a nurse while my father in law worked days so that there was always a parent with the children. I have no idea when she slept or how she did it. . .but where there's a will there's a way.

I think more and more jobs are becoming flexible and with the internet, there's not a lot you can't do from home these days. If that's what you want to do--go for it. But here are a few things to think about:

*Finding time for yourself is harder. If you're not taking care of the house, you're with the baby. If you're not with the baby and the house is done, you have something to work on.

*Not all time spent is equal. If you're "with" the baby but constantly on the phone, juggling papers or otherwise trying to get him occupied--working at home might not be ideal.

*Depending on your job, your boss may or may not care that you stayed up all night for the 6th straight night in a row with a teething baby. (I'm very thankful to say that my editors care very much!)

*While the thought of "setting your own hours" is appealing, it's still work that has to get done and if you have no hours to set, it's not quite as flexible as you might think.

Don't get me wrong, I love working at home. I'm grateful for the opportunities I have had and I even as the children grow, I have plans to continue to hone my writing. But working with a baby in your lap is difficult. Doable--but difficult. I think sometimes women seem to see it as "easier" and I can assure you it's not--just different.

Make sure you check out the Home Biz blog if you're interested in finding out more on what it's like to work at home!

Valorie Delp shares recipes and kitchen tips in the food blog, solves breastfeeding problems, shares parenting tips, and current research in the baby blog, and insight, resources and ideas as a regular guest blogger in the homeschooling blog. To read more articles by Valorie Delp, click here.

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Learn more about Valorie Delp

Hello everybody! My name is Valorie and I am one busy lady! When I'm not writing or editing for families, I am busy trying to get my brood of 5 in line.

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