There’s been a new phenomenon with woman and careers the last few years called the “work at home mom.” The gist is usually this: the family needs her income, can’t afford daycare, and so she manages to make some money to help the family while also being the caretaker for her children. Even if the family can afford daycare (and doesn’t “need” the woman’s salary), there are still moms who choose to work at home because of the flexibility it provides for their family.

But it’s not an easy thing. I know some women who are great at multitasking and they make it all work… but I know there are days they want to SCREAM.

I know a lot of women who do the WAHM (work at home mom) thing, but not that many guys who are doing it. So I was interested by this story from CNN, in which a new dad explains why he is trying to stay at home with his children.

His story of being on a conference call with his boss is hilarious, because OF COURSE as soon as he is on the phone, the baby starts crying… LOUD. Right into the phone. He makes the valid point that working at home is a difficult thing. It takes practice. You often have to work in spurts, focused on your work one minute but ever aware of your kids at the same time.

Or, if the kids are down for a nap, you have to focus and work while you have the quiet. Josh Lubin, the guy who wrote the article, also says that working from home takes practice. Very true! The more you do it the better able you will be to switch gears.

It should also be said that not every employer will be okay with working from home. I worked with a very professional woman who worked at home two days a week. You could always get her when you needed her, she was knowledgeable, great to work with, but our boss was not having it. Our boss would roll her eyes every time someone would suggest calling our work at home counterpart. One time I heard her say, “We could call her, but she’ll probably have a kid on her hip so how much help will she be?”

(Our boss, incidentally, was a real piece of work.)

Let me throw a question out to you all. If you’re a guy who works at home now, please comment. Let us know how you’re doing, if you’re in the same job, and if you’ll keep staying at home or go back when the kids are older. If there’s a lesson you’ve learned a long the way – please share!

Post from: Blisstree

Tales from a Work at Home Dad