How Do Kids Benefit From Mom's Work-at-Home Job?
Teaching Kids Life Lessons While Earning a Paycheck at Home
Oct 4, 2009
More stay-at-home moms are changing their labels to work-at-home moms by contributing to the family income without leaving their homes. Along with the satisfaction of being there for the kids and earning a paycheck at home, Moms who manage a career and family under one roof teach their children plenty of life’s lessons at the same time. For many moms, this is like hitting the multi-tasking jackpot of balancing work and family.
How Do Kids Benefit From Watching Mom Work at Home?
Children who watch their moms accomplish career-related tasks learn the importance of hard work and organization (both essential job requirements for any work-at-home mom). In addition, children who see their moms on the job at home are inclined to start considering what they want to do when they grown up and what it’s going to take for them to succeed in their own careers. With any luck, they might even be impressed enough to work harder themselves, whether that’s at home helping with extra chores or at school, improving their grades.
The decision to work at home offers a way mothers can show their kids they have talents outside of normal “mom” duties. Kids will inevitably take notice of the enthusiasm a work-at-home mom has for using her skills and getting paid for her hard work. More than likely, they’ll develop a respect for the work-at-home mom’s efforts to provide for her family and be close to them at the same time.
How to Get the Kids Involved in Mom’s Career at Home
Managing a job and parenting simultaneously will inevitably require that everyone in the family understand how Mom’s time is structured. Kids need to realize that their mother’s career is not just something she does that steals time away from the family. It’s important that children of a work-at-home mom feel included in her career. Here are a few ideas ...
Enlist Their Help
Kids will enjoy playing office by helping Mom stuff envelopes, organize files or prepare for an upcoming meeting. She can take that time to explain the process involved in her work and offer them a behind-the-scenes tour of her job.
What kid doesn’t love to staple, sort and shred? A creative work-at-home mom can come up with something age-appropriate for her children to do. Ask older kids to help plan timelines for projects, using a calendar and a to-do list. That’s a great way to teach time management and goal setting – both of which will come in handy with future homework assignments.
Ask for Their Opinion
Kids can offer valuable input on a variety of levels, especially technology (they’ve never known a world without the internet, mobile phones or email). They’re often able to contribute a different perspective that can give a fresh approach to a project. In addition, asking for their opinion will empower them, giving them a sense of pride and letting them know that what they think matters.
Role Play
Kids love acting out parts – and imagining themselves as grownups. Here’s the perfect chance for mothers who work at home to foster that creativity in their children while providing real-life scenarios. Ask them to pretend to be the client or the audience and rehearse a presentation. Let them jump in with their own questions, and seriously consider their feedback.
Celebrate Take Children to Work Day
This sounds like an easy one, especially with home and office being in one place. However, moms who spend most of their time juggling between carpools, conference calls, homework and taking care of the house can find themselves going through the motions without truly explaining to her kids what she actual does during her work day.
Give them a special button or hat that gains them access to learning the top-secret, behind-the-scenes glimpse of a day in the life of their work-at-home mom. Then go about the day, doing the same things that always need to be accomplished, but explain to them the processes and reasons why certain tasks have to be done. If all goes well and attention spans aren’t stretched, this can give them an added appreciation for Mom’s time and efforts both on and off the work clock.
Make Kids Feel Like They’re Part of Mom's Work-at-Home Team
With more opportunities to earn cash by telecommuting, home-based careers offer appealing alternatives for moms who want to set good examples for their kids while earning a paycheck at home.
When kids feel included, they’re more likely to whine less about the time their mom spends away from motherly duties, and accept the fact that she needs to focus on her work. Enlisting their help and making them feel like they’re part of Mom’s team can go a long way in getting their buy-in to this whole work-at-home gig.
A work-at-home mom gains a sense of pride for contributing to the family income and still being there for her kids. The icing on the cake (even if it is store bought) is that she can teach her children some valuable lessons along the way.
 |
