Working from home can have a positive outcome on your family relationships if it is handled in the right way. As a WAHM, you should be interested in how the relationship dynamic in your family will change and adjust, as you transition to working at home, to make sure that your family dynamic remains positive.
Pros and Cons
In any area of work, there are pros and cons, and this includes working at home. Some major pros in working at home are that you can be more involved in your children's lives and nurture them. You have the benefit of working from home so that you can set your own schedule, and never miss any important events that your children will experience.
The hard part about being a work-at-home mom, is that your work will become associated with your home activities, and you will have to maintain a strong balance between your work and your family life.
Benefits to Family
If you are good at keeping the balance between your work and family, there are strong benefits for your children. The first is that they will be near their mother, and build a strong relationship with you. They will also have the opportunity to learn about business at a young age, which will benefit them in their future (when they must go and get jobs of their own).
If Problems Arise
If your work is stressing you out, and you are showing that stress, it could have a domino effect on the rest of your family and cause them to be stressed out as well. If you begin to have problems balancing your work and home situation, it may be wise to reevaluate how you are managing your work and see what is causing the stress.
If it is something that can be eliminated, eliminate it. If it something that you must maintain to keep your business, focus on keeping your "business life" separated from your "family life" by not overly talking about your work stress with your family. Enjoy your family, and leave the stress at your home office.
Your Home Office
If you are fortunate to have a specific area in your home that you can call your office, try avoiding it when you are with your family. This will show your family that they come first, and it will separate your work life from your family life.
If your office blends in with the rest of the house, make sure it is neat and tidy at the end of your shift to make it a pleasant situation for everyone. This will also help you not lose any valuable information by someone else accidentally removing something from your desk.
Working from home will inevitably affect the rest of your family; it is up to you to make sure that the influence is a positive one.
