Managing the balancing act

Hello Tammy,

I definitely sense your frustration, as that is a hard dilemma. There are no relatives that can help out, or any friends that could watch your son?

I'm sure you've covered this, but what about any stay-at-home mom's of his school mates?

Are you friends with a neighbor that you trust? Heck, if you lived near me, I'd come and help you. I've done it for many o' friend with kids.

A friend of mine, who had a little boy, and her husband worked full-time and she did also, started networking with mothers from her church, so when help was needed, she called one of them. Then, later, she would return the favor and watch their kids.

Don't know if any of this helps your immediate situation. Do you know the client well enough to ask if you could teleconference the meeting? You could be present via phone, but still be home with your son.

These are all things that I'm sure you have thought of.

I don't have kids myself, but I have many friends that do. I'm in awe at how they manage to work and raise children. My mind gets so cluttered, I'm not sure I could juggle it all.

I hope things work out for you. Most companies are family friendly nowadays, so maybe they would agree to teleconference, unless there are actual hard copy papers you need, etc. Maybe they could courier them to you? Just a thought.

Let us know what happens.

Lisa

I would agree with a network of other mothers that you could ring in case of need - but you would have to be able to reciprocate somehow.

If there is a college campus nearby, how about putting an ad up for occasional babysitting - interview a handful and keep the list handy so you have a back up plan?

Alternatively, what about an aupair if you have the space?

This is a difficult situation!

Ack. This situation is why I work from home. Before I had kids I worked full time in an office and one of my coworkers had this same thing happen to her.

I know that many copywriters will not work onsite. I won't either, and I don't actively pursue too many gigs because of the time-factor; but then, we aren't relying on my income either. That's my solution to the family/work balance. But that may not be much help!

If your income is absolutely crucial to your family, then you really may want to consider some kind of on-call babysitting or daycare-type situation as a back-up plan. I'm sorry I don't know how this works, because I've never had to do it, but there are probably lots and lots of working moms who know exactly what to do (after all, kids gets sick, right?). I hope you find one of them who can help you.

I guess you could speak with your client and explain the situation. What if it was you who got sick? You'd have to take the day off or risk giving everyone a little more than they paid you for! Maybe you could handle it the same way.

HTH