Child Care Options for Freelancers
One of the benefits that many freelancers with families cite is the ability to stay home with the kids: you can save a fortune on daycare if you have kids just by working from home and not sending the kids elsewhere. But there are situations in which having the kids at home all day may not work out. Trying to take client phone calls or multitask between watching the kids and working just don’t always work out perfectly.
I grew up in a work-at-home household and, whether or not you’re comfortable with the situation as a parent, from the kid’s point of view, it’s not always a picnic. Having my mother home every day was nice, but the fact that I was banished to the basement when she worked with client made the situation a little less pleasant. I couldn’t have friends over at certain times and I’m sure there were days that I’d have loved to have gone to daycare. I could tell that it wasn’t exactly the perfect situation for her, either: she would mark off the days of summer break, barely able to wait until my sisters and I went back to school. What are the options for a freelancing parent?
Day-to-Day Child Care
Just because you work at home doesn’t directly necessitate that you also have to watch the kids all day. There are plenty of freelancers — both moms and dads — that have found arrangements that fit well with their schedules. That can mean keeping one eye on the kids and one on your work. It can also mean sending children to daycare part or full-time. It can even mean bringing in a parent’s helper for a few hours a day or a week. Furthermore, situations evolve as children grow. A toddler who has just figured out walking needs a lot more supervision, of course, than a teenager.
There is no universal answer to the question of whether freelancers need help with childcare. But it is a discussion worth having: there’s nothing wrong with working from home and avoiding the costs of daycare. But if childcare would improve your working situation, it is something worth discussing.
Emergencies and Other Situations
Even if you’re pretty sure that you do just as well with your kids in the house as with them out, it’s important to have an emergency plan in place. For situations like when your child falls sick on the same day that you have an important client, a alternative plan to keeping the kid home just makes sense. Maybe a grandparent is willing to help out or maybe bringing in a babysitter that can help out even when you’re home is a solution. It’s just a matter of finding something that fits.
These questions are important to more than just freelancing parents with children, as well. Some of us choose freelancing because of the flexibility it offers for us to take care of a loved one who needs help. Such situations can wind up as high stress environments very quickly, and arranging to have someone handle at least a little of the care-giving while you do some work can be crucial to keeping yourself sane.
Ultimately, your situation will dictate what your best option is. There are days when you may feel that you’re only working to pay for help, but if you can make the financial aspects work, it may be worth considering.
How do you juggle child care with the demands of freelance work?
Don’t have kids yet, but your points are what I am considering right now.
My sister-in-law has been working from home for several years. She loved the convenience and the opportunity to take care of her then new baby boy. Now she is struggling with taking care of a 4 year old and a new 4 month old. She works for a large networking company and working from home and taking care of children has limited her networking options (she’s in the office once a month) and correspondingly here career. She and her husband have put her 4 year old into pre-school but that reduces the cost savings from working at home.
So .. I agree with this article. Using a work from home option as a way to take care of your kids is a bad idea. You’ll spend much more of your day time doing that instead of working forcing you to work late into the night to meet deliverables.
We’re expecting our first in a few months and my wife and I are discussing her only going back to work 3 days a week which would leave me with Friday Saturday, Monday to watch the kid on my own. I’d like to try and not do daycare (often) but we’ll see how it goes.
I’m a freelancer designer and I have 3 children from 9 to 2 years old. They all stayed at home with me until they were 2 years old. After that, they go to the kindergarden because I feel they need other children to play with. I got some tricks to get through the days. When the child is very young I kept him close to me, so he feels that they’re not alone. For toddlers, I got different boxes with toys, each day I gave one box and hide the others. So they thought it were news toys every time.
I told all my clients that I have children with me, and if at first they were uncomfortable about it, but because I was always trying to be professional and finish the projects on time, I never had problems.
When I have meetings I ask my big family to babysitting my kids.
Of course I have to work longer hours but on the other side, my kids find me always available for them.
I grew up in a house where my father (a chemical engineer) did quite a bit of after-hours work. Could have been reading professional journals, doing sketches and calculations for a chemical process design, or just sitting in the living room and thinking.
Very early on, I learned that the rest of us were not to bother Daddy when he was thinking. To this day, I’ll make a hasty exit from the living room if I see him in his chair with that faraway look.
As for reading the journals, I’m told that when I was a wee little thing, he used to like to hold me while kicking back with the latest Oil and Gas Journal. And, if he was working at his desk, I’d ask him what he was doing. Being the taciturn fellow that he was and is, he’d give me a brief answer, then get back to work.
In short, I learned early that the world didn’t revolve around me. If my parents were busy, it was time for me to find some other way to entertain myself.
so true. I’m writing a post on this, in more detail in having gone through it / going through it… as a mom of a 2yr old.
My in-laws hired a nanny and a housekeeper for us so that it won’t be difficult for me when caring for my 4-month old baby girl. I’m working almost 8 hours a day as a freelance writer and I struggle with watching over my baby girl everyday while trying to get things done. I would always take advantage of the 30-minute to 1-hour naps, talk to her if there is idle time, and make sure I aways give her baths before going to sleep.
It’s difficult, but it’s what I’d have to settle with since she’s not old enough to go to nursery school yet.
I’ve got my office at home and having my young ones jumping all over the place doesn’t really help getting things done.
I have a 15 year old girl, and two boys ages 6 and 1. My youngest one goes to day care from 7 to 5. My 6 year old son goes to pre-school and stays at my next door neighbour’s until five. She charges a good price and minds other children, which is handy because they’ve got someone to play with.
My teenage girl also spends the afternoon at my neighbour’s after school, so that she can help a little, and hang out with other teenagers who live there.
So basically I stay pretty much clear during business hours. Of course, I stay away from my computer after five and get to spend time with my family, play, cook diner and help them getting ready to bed, read stories and all.
When everyone is finally put away I can come back to my office and work a little… or at least read blogs.
Thanks for sharing
This is where I can honestly say I don’t know how people manage when they don’t have family living around them. I work three days a week at home and two in the office. There are quite stressful times, when you need to focus and put everything into your work. This is impossible with children around you that you need to be watched/helped and fed! My parents come and manage a couple of hours a day and this has always been my sactuary! Other that this I end up burning the midnight lights!
Um… my stay at home wife just left for a few days in the busiest week of my life. Can you say “production down” son? My 2.5 year old is the best but my clients felt the bite for sure. DONT JUGGLE KIDS AND WORK AT HOME. It will not work. But I love seeing him and my wife all day. (Thank goodness for the new house and office in the back/old laundry room)
Get a baby gate and a door!
This is where I can honestly say I don’t know how people manage when they don’t have family living around them. I work three days a week at home and two in the office. There are quite stressful times, when you need to focus and put everything into your work.
We have a one-year old at home and working from home myself, it has been a real challenge. To make things a little easier on both my wife and I, I’ve re-tooled my working schedule, starting work early (very early) and finishing in the early afternoon. Then I can spend some time with my daughter and get back to work later in the evening if there’s a need for it.
Our parents and grandparents have been invaluable as well. If you’re fortunate enough to have a family to help you out every once in a while, that can really help – especially when it comes to organizing client meetings and serious crunch days.
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