Mothers who work at home represent such an institution that they now have their own Internet acronym: WAHM, or Work-at-Home Moms. And though it can be a struggle, to put it mildly, to balance the needs of children and the needs of the office, there are also great rewards. Indeed, I have many successful and inspiring WAHM friends, and I’ve learned a great deal from them.

Part of the challenge of working at home is keeping an eye on the kids while not letting them keep you from your work. This is easier with older kids, for sure: you can rationalize with them as to why you’re working at home and why you can’t be disturbed during work hours. With younger kids, you’ll need special calming strategies. Try setting out different toys each day-while hiding the other toys-so your kids won’t become bored with their playthings. (Boredom in children, of course, often leads to extra mischief.) If you have an especially difficult task on a certain day, you might want to give the kids a brand new toy that will hold their interest longer and thus keep them quiet longer. In addition to playtime, you and your younger children could schedule “quiet working times” together. My friend Margaret, who is a terrific graphic designer, works on her projects at the kitchen table while her daughter sits across from her and colors in her coloring books, so that they’re both working as artists at the same time. And some afternoons my accountant friend Valerie and her son set their respective laptops on the floor and belly-flop down in front of them. Then Val does her spreadsheets as her son plays online math games-with the sound turned off, of course. And another of my friends has taught her kids to make healthy snacks like trail mix and jello with berries, which they prepare quietly and serve to each other while she types away.

Working moms have to be especially mobile and should always plan ahead. Be poised to get a lot done during naptimes or during your kids’ overnight trips to Grandma’s. Make sure your laptop and everything else you’ll need is packed away in your briefcase on days when you’ll be spending an hour at the orthodontist’s or in the piano teacher’s lobby. Try to do more work on the days before a snowstorm is forecast; on snow days your children likely will be running around the house distracting you to no end. You might also try to form a union with other neighborhood working moms-sort of a WAHM United International. You could then take turns watching the kids in the afternoons so everyone gets a few days of silence each week.

Last, be sure to enjoy time with your kids each day. Take a break from your work and go outside with them-the exercise will benefit all of you-read to them, take advantage of the fact you’re not sitting in an office all day. It feels good to be a WAHM.

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Category: Career
Keywords: home represent,younger kids,kids wont,work hours,internet acronym,great rewards