This article is dedicated for dads who love being around with their family.
Not trying to be a feminist, but I respect moms and wives. Moms, wives and women in general, are indeed super women – they have the toughest and most demanding job of all. Consider this: 24/7 of more-work-less-fun, managing the house, teaching the children, and caring a (stubborn) hubby. If you think that’s hard, think again – what about the single moms? What about the working women who are also taking care of the house? Any help would be great!
Here’s more fun for moms and wives: Add a work-at-home hubby into the equation and you’ve got yourself another “child” to take care :)
Nevertheless, it is actually a blessing in disguise. I don’t know how about you, but from the ‘testimonials’ of my clients and colleagues who are working at home, I conclude that work at home dads is a big plus (and the moms I know do expect this to become a reality!)
For moms – having dads to work at home means more time for themselves (or more shopping time?) Having a work at home hubby also means they can share ‘kids management’ with their hubby. The drawback: Like I said above, hubbies, no matter how dependable they are, need to be ‘managed.’
For dads – working at home means more time with their family. Despite all the small annoyances here and there from the kids, getting surrounded by the people who love them is simply bliss – and motivating. Work at home means you won’t stuck in traffic, thus they can manage their stress better. The drawback: Some interruptions on the work and they do feel secluded from the business social life (client and colleagues interactions) at times.
Now, being a work at home dads is not easy, but it is extremely rewarding and fulfilling. Your challenge would be setting up the office space and “office hours” issues – when is the time you can’t afford to be distracted? How to arrange a seamless working-space in your home? Should you bring your clients home? If you need employees, should you have your assistant or other staffs to work at your home?
If your business is Internet business (like mine,) the office space and office hours issues can be limited. But if you run an off line business at home, this could be a real challenge.
Nevertheless, from my very own experience, I feel that it is a blessing and a privilege to be able to work at home; to be able to be surrounded by the people you love and love you back; to be able to be in your pajamas all day long (provided it won’t affect your productivity – because pajamas do reduce your productivity at times); to be able to work without worrying the traffic in busy hours (and also the traveling expenses.)
I could add you 1000s of words more to describe the wonders of being a work at home dads, but the bottom line is, I am the happiest man on earth (and I believe most work at home dads fell the same way!) – all thanks to the wonderful opportunity to work at home, spend more time with my wife and closely watch my children grow (and take then to school soon!)
Are you a work at home dad? Please share your story by commenting on this article.
Ivan Widjaya
Cheers to you, WAHDs!