Finding time to work at home

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Working from home can be pretty tough–even tougher with a 2 year old.

I love my time with my son. I love how I can see him grow and all that child-like wonderment that comes with it. All that being said, it is pretty tough to fit work in there–with all the games of chase, meals, going here and there, trying to make sure you do some form of educational things, the 45-minute power nap at 3 pm. With all of that, where can you fit work in?

I like that I am able to do this. I am glad to be able to see and be a part of my son’s growth and development, but trying to find the time to work can be a pretty good challenge.

Some days it can seem like everything is against you, and some days that can be the case, but you have to find a way to power through it. You have to find ways to be inventive–be it hiding out in a closet at midnight, going to a place that has wi-fi and a playground, writing your ideas down and then writing/typing as fast as you can before the end of his 45-minute power nap, and learning how to go with very little sleep.

I am hoping this doesn’t come across as a whiny, crying-in-my-beer type of rant/post, as it is not.

For people who work from home or are a stay-at-home parent, this is just a normal day, with all the things that go on everyday. It’s not a complaint, just a point-of-fact.

There are parents who do this with 2… 3–heck even-5-or-6 kids.  (You are parenting gods to me–for being able to do this.) And, they work their tails off. Just taking care of your child is a 26-hours-a-day, 365-days-a-year job, and yes having a kid or kids is awesome and fun. But, it is work: a lot of work. All that, and you’re trying to do a full-time job on part-time hours, all the while trying to make deadlines and meet sales goals.

Now, hearing all this, you would think people who do this are certifiable and need to have their heads examined. While, yes, there may be some merit for that train of thought, you would be very wrong. Nothing can compare to being able to watch your child grow, and evolve before your eyes–each and every day.

You may think you didn’t miss a lot when you were away at work every day (for the 8 or so hours), but you do. Your child is changing not daily but hourly (minute-by-minute), as they discover new things. Your child grows so fast.

Ask any parent who have grown children. Heck, ask any parent who watches their child go to preschool or kindergarten. One moment you are holding them for the first time at birth and then you blink and they are running from you without a kiss or hug to their friends, who are standing in-line for the first day of 1st grade.

So, yeah, I have tough days, where everything goes wrong–with spilt milk on the laptop, when nothing fits right, (the shirt is too itchy, the socks are too short or long, the “I don’t want to wear clothes/diaper” days, and the “I don’t want/need a nap.” There’s even all those days when you know it’s a: “I am not happy and upset and I don’t know why”–those are many!

I would not change any of it. Before I know it, the tomorrows will be less: all the yesterdays will far out-pace  them.

The days of fitting in my hands are gone; the days of fitting in my lap are growing shorter. So, each day is a day I don’t want to miss. Being a work-from/stay-at-home dad is a job that makes me the richest man in the world. It’s a job that isn’t a job, but is. So this is a story, a story about loving what you do, and as the saying goes, “When you love your job, you never work a day in your life.”