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Children in the Home Business
Environment
Operating a home business is seldom easy and
interruptions come in all shapes, sizes and forms.
Between the family,
friends and neighbors who call or come by, and the telemarketers who insist on
ringing your number off the hook, getting through the workday can be a real
challenge.
When you introduce children into the home office
environment, your productivity and patience can be seriously tested.
For example, right now my three-year old daughter is pulling on my shirt and
begging me to read her a story. Clearly, Im in the middle of something
important here, but how can I say no to those eyes? Ill be right back...
Ok, that wasnt so bad was it? Shes happy, Im happy (having bonded with my
daughter) and now Im back to continue my conversation with you :-) Whats the
lesson here? Flexibility is a major key to balancing your home business
priorities with your familys needs.
I can tell you from first-hand
experience that maintaining a deep level of concentration on work in a home
business for long periods of time is next to impossible. Naptime does offer
some reprieve, but any break from the kids is usually short lived.
Even with older children, summertime introduces new challenges with kids
running in and out of the house all throughout the day.
I would like
to share with you some of the tips I have discovered to help manage your home
office with children in your midst. Since children of different ages pose
different challenges, I will present my tips in terms of age groups.
OLDER CHILDREN AND TEENS
We will look at older children first
since they pose the least challenge to our work productivity.
Children, who are old enough to understand the idea of schedules and chores,
are old enough to understand the needs of your home business. Explain to your
children that you do your work at home so that you can be near them when they
need you. But also be sure they understand that you must do your work so that
you will have the money necessary to keep your house, feed the family and to
provide them with money for entertainment.
Once your children
understand the necessity of your work, then outline a work schedule and explain
it to them. Do make sure they understand that emergencies are definitely an
acceptable reason to interrupt your work. Then make sure they understand that
between hours x and y, you will be doing work --- and then hold them to
respecting your schedule.
INFANTS
Infants will never
understand your needs for work. But fortunately, babies do well under a
schedule or routine. Instead of expecting your child to work around your
schedule, schedule your work around the needs of your baby.
It is
simple. Babies eat, sleep and poop. Sometimes they play. Fortunately, babies
sleep more than they do anything else.
Naptime offers the best
advantage for getting your work done. Get your baby into a routine of eat,
sleep and play, and you will experience unexpected levels of productivity.
TODDLERS
If you have a toddler running around the house
while you are operating your home business, then you may find that your hair
turning gray or disappearing altogether. But, gray hair is a sign of character,
right. ;-)
I am venturing to guess that the person who devised the
door lock for the inside of the house did so because he had toddlers in his own
home. Inside door locks should only be utilized when you are making that
important phone call and your toddler is screaming for your attention. At all
other times, your door should remain unlocked with your door open.
Develop a routine with your children for meal times, naptimes, and play times.
Work these times into your work schedule and adhere to them. If you fail to
keep appointments with your children, your children will have less respect for
your work and do more to prevent you from the completion of your work.
Don't be afraid to let your children sit in your lap while you are working. It
helps them to feel wanted and it helps them to be a part of your daily life.
There are times when it is okay for them to be sitting in your lap while you
work, and at other times you need them out of your lap. Don't be afraid to tell
them to get down and go play or read a book so that you can resume your
work.
Permit your children to have their toys in your office. Often
they will sit contently and play while you work. Just knowing you are near is
enough to keep them happy.
Be prepared to take an hourly break to deal
with your toddler. Try to do potty breaks at your hourly break and to do drink
refills. This can help your child grow into a routine that will work well with
your home business. At each break, spend a few minutes with your child giving
hugs and kisses and talking with your child about what he or she wants to talk
about.
Toddlers don't always do well with the routine, so be prepared
to take a few minutes when needed to give the attention that your child so
desperately needs in the moment.
IN CONCLUSION
I hope
these tips serve to help you in the challenge of operating a successful home
business.
My home business permits me to fulfill my financial
obligations *AND* see my children grow up. I would never contemplate trading my
home business for another kind of business. Even with the added challenges of
dealing with toddlers in my home office, the upsides far outweigh the
downsides.
Growing my own home business with children around has
definitely given me a new respect for all people who successfully run a home
business with kids in the work environment. I tip my hat to you... You deserve
it!
Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
About The Author:
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Stone Evans
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