Summer is here. My children are finally out of school for the summer. I’m trying to decide who is more excited, me or them. One of the best benefits I have about being a mom entrepreneur is that I am home all summer with my children. I choose when to work and how much. If the forecast is calling for a beautiful day during the week, I just rearrange my schedule to ensure I have the day free to take my kids swimming or another activity they choose.
When my kids were much smaller, I used to work more at night, so I could spend almost every day with them at the park, with friends, or swimming at my parent’s pool. If I had a real job, I wouldn’t have this flexibility. I know some mom entrepreneurs who take off the whole summer from work. I actually enjoy working, so that doesn’t make sense for me, but it’s so great to have the choice.
When my son was 15 months old, I started working for myself and never looked back. I always thought that once they started school, I would go back to work full-time. That was before I knew I could be successful working part-time for myself. Once they started school, I realized that there were still so many reasons I needed to stay home.
- Who would be there when they got out of school in the afternoon?
- Who would be here when they were sick or had a vacation day?
- How would I rearrange my day if they had a snow day?
- Where would the go in the summer? Camp can get expensive, and who wants to be in camp all summer, anyway?
These were all the thoughts running through my head. My son is in high school now, and I still feel fortunate to be around when he needs me. He gets home from school at 2:00 PM most days and other days he needs a ride home from an activity or his own job.
I feel so fortunate to be able to work and have something that I call my own, yet still have the freedom and flexibility to put my children before my job. I would love to hear from you about what you feel is the best thing about being an entrepreneur. Feel free to enter a comment to share your joys.
