There is no taming the debate that rages between the stay at home and working mom camps, but through all the peanut butter sandwich flinging there is one type of mom that is often forgotten or misunderstood- the work at home mom. With the proliferation of web 2.0 and the increasing number of employers embracing telecommuting the number of mommypreneurs and work from home moms continues to grow. It’s the best, and worst, of both worlds, and this type of work/parenting arrangement has it’s own, unique set of problems.

Parents (and sometimes partners) Just Don’t Understand
Despite the ever rising number of telecommuting jobs, working from home is difficult for some people to understand- especially for those who have a very traditional view of the working world, or who aren’t comfortable with the web and computers. This isn’t necessarily the same as a traditional view of a woman’s place in the home, but those who have a traditional view of the workplace often view women who work from home the same as SAHMs- seeing the ‘working’ part of their life as either tertiary or minor. Not only does this make women feel that others see their work as less valuable, but it can also make getting the same type of help and support that a working mom has access to more difficult- which can be especially difficult if the kids aren’t attending school yet. To face this challenge many work from home moms establish a weekly schedule where the kiddos spend the day with a family member or at daycare once or twice a week. This not only gives mom some time to focus, but also gives the kids a chance to spend time with a grandparent or other children (win-win especially for those who are dealing with over-zealous grandparents).

This Isn’t Social Hour- Then Again, It Never Really Is
For many people, going into the office has a big social component. There are some folks that count their coworkers as friends, and there are others who might not have the person in the next cubicle on their Christmas card list, but will still chat with them throughout the day. On the other end of the spectrum, many SAHMs are members of playgroups and other organizations in their communities that support stay at home parents. These moms also have the advantage of socializing at the playground, having coffee with the neighbors, and many times develop bonds with other mothers in the neighborhood that sometimes isn’t available to moms who are working from home because of their schedules and workloads. Like the working mom, the work from home mom often feels isolated from the SAHM circles, and if they are working for themselves they also do not have the opportunity to socialize with coworkers. Scheduling time for playdates is good for you and baby, though, and this is something you should build into your weekly schedule. You can find playgroups online, or start one with friends who have kids around the same age. Just make sure you are making time to take advantage of one of the pluses of working from home- a flexible schedule.

The Networking Lurch
There is a very practical aspect to socializing that can be more challenging for a work from home mom- networking. Like other entrepreneurial types, work from home moms often have to find their own networking opportunities and other industry-related, knowledge-sharing resources and events. Searching for these groups and attending these functions inevitably adds a few extra hours to the work day and takes a few extra hours away from family time, but is a necessary part of staying in business. Some parents are lucky enough to have a partner that will watch the kids after their 9-5 has ended, allowing them to attend after work networking events. Others are taking advantage of popular, online social networking tools like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay connected during the day. There are also sites and communities like momprenueronline.com and workitmom.com that are targeted at moms who work from home. This is one of the easier challenges to address, but those solutions aren’t prefect for everyone and it networking and growing your business can be a special challenge for work at home moms, who are guaranteed to cringe every time a client starts a conversation putting out very obviously feelers on their family situation before offering work.

This may all seem like very good reasons to stay as far away from being a work from home mom as possible, but there are still many advantages to working for yourself and from home. More and more moms are choosing to take the bad with the good and turn the spare room or dining room into an office, and for good reason. There is a tremendous cost savings on childcare and other work-related incidentals such as gas and clothing that comes with working from home.

Even with the challenges, many moms relish the fact that they can still have a challenging career while being able to spend time with their children everyday- and those who are their own boss have the added bonus that they can ebb and flow their workload with their family needs. Being any ‘kind’ of mom is as rewarding as it is challenging, but let’s not forget the work from home moms and their challenges, too.

Image Credit: Workitmom.com