You may need to help the younger ones with homework or teach them study skills. You may need to switch into chauffeur mode to get the kids to sports, music lessons or club activities. Everyone has different needs and situations. With that in mind, I’ve come up with a list of suggestions of things that you can do to keep your kids happy and meet your deadlines:

• Sign up the kids for after-school programs: Some schools have a program on campus. Many nearby daycare centers send vans to pick up the kids.
• Hire a student: Some high schoolers finish school early enough to hang with your kids and help with homework. It helps if the high schooler can drive so they can come to your place and take the kids to the park or the library. This approach worked well for me last year. If it appeals to you, check your local colleges as well. Colleges may have a bulletin board or some other job notification system where you can advertise this kind of work.
• Make a schedule: This is the approach I’m now using, and so far, so good. When the elementary kids arrive home, they have about 30 minutes to chill and eat snacks. Then one hour of homework, quiet and reading time. That time frame removes the temptation to rush through homework to go outside or do something fun. If they finish homework early, they still have to wait the full hour before playtime begins.
• Take turns with other parents: Find other work-from-home parents to take turns in watching the kids. That way, you can get a couple of afternoons to yourself.
• Pay another parent to help: When I still had a corporate job and my son needed to be somewhere right before I got off work, a good friend took him for me while I picked him up. Though we do things for each other all the time, this regular carpooling warranted a little extra.
• Treat the afternoon as family time: Give yourself a break and enjoy spending a few hours with your kids, preparing for dinner and helping with homework. Finish your work in the evening after they’ve gone to bed. Instead of lunch breaks, take late afternoon breaks. But still, walk away from the computer for at least five minutes several times a day for health’s sake. Oh, and be careful not to get food and drink on the keyboard.
• Set aside time on the weekend: If your situation doesn’t give you enough time during the week, pick a time on the weekend to do your work. It helps to have a home office so the kids know not to disturb mom or dad while they’re working, unless it’s an emergency (note that a kid’s definition of “emergency” will probably not be the same as yours, so you might want to discuss that beforehand). No home office? Create a work area that signals to the kids that mom or dad is at work.

Web working gives parents the flexibility to be there for their kids and put family first. They don’t have to explain themselves to coworkers and bosses when they need to take care of family business. I love working out of my home office as it provides a well-rounded life.

How do you manage your family around your web working career?

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I love Spring Break… when there’s a trip involved. Alas, I haven’t taken a real vacation since Spring Break 2002. Sure, my family took a road trip from Dallas to San Antonio and Austin last year, but that was no vacation between the drive and a volleyball tournament (the real reason for the trip). If you’re one of the lucky ones taking a vacation, here are some tips for packing.

This year, one kid has driver’s ed classes for the week, another takes a test and some have a few appointments. So this Spring Break gives us an opportunity to catch up and do things that we don’t want to do during the school year. But that doesn’t mean the thought of the younger two staying home all week doesn’t stress me out. The 5-year-old and 10-year-old argue, then come growling or crying into Mom’s office.

So what can you do to manage kids during Spring Break if you stay home?

Take the week off. Some web workers don’t take vacations because many of them don’t get paid while on vacation. Though you might not get away for the break, you can rest your mind by taking the opportunity to spend time with your family now. Too many folks think, “Oh, I’ll spend time with my kids when my business takes off or we get X dollars in our bank account.” Put away the “someday” thinking and “just do it” now. Kids grow up fast. They’re going to be adults far longer than they are kids.

Work early in the morning. Compromise by working early in the morning and (hopefully) let the kids sleep late. Kids tend to take their time waking up on days off. Early morning offers a good time to get a little work done before the interruption comes. It’s a compromise between doing some work and taking the afternoons off. Or you can switch to working late at night after they go to sleep, if you prefer.

Hire a high schooler. A student in high school would appreciate the opportunity to earn a little cash without committing to a job. Children love older kids who aren’t their siblings. Find a high schooler who can drive so s/he takes the kids to the park or the library. This way the kids have fun and get out of the house leaving you with a few hours of quiet work time.

Enroll them in a program or camp. Places like tennis centers, community centers, daycares and religious institutions offer part-time or full-time programs and camp. These stave off the “I’m bored” blues by giving the kids a place to go for a few hours. If your kids are like mine, they’ll complain of boredom when they get home, but at least you’ll free yourself from the whining for a little while.

Set aside family time. Plan two or three activities for the week. See a movie, go to a museum, go out for breakfast, find an indoor pool, ride bikes, or visit family and friends. Tell your kids you’ve scheduled time to do X activities. You could use it as a motivator for them to work through things on their own and use these activities as their reward. Do try to have one activity with no reward tied to it.

Ship them off to Visit relatives. For winter break, my kids took turns to spend a few days with Grandma, who lives an hour away. This way they get all of Grandma’s attention. You still enjoy a quieter home with one child visiting a relative and the rest at home.

Play with friends. Schedule play dates with friends. You may have to invite them to your home, but they might bug you less when they have a friend over. My kids don’t interrupt me as much and they’re happy to play with someone. Win-win!

Spring Break isn’t so bad because it’s only five days (the weekends are always there). Summer — now that’s a different story, and one I’m not looking forward to telling. I’m fretting about that already.

What do you plan to do for Spring Break? How about for the too-long summer break?

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Deloitte LLP conducted a survey amongst technology and telecommunications workers to help figure out what keys points recruiters and HR should focus on in attracting and retaining talented workers.  Outside observers might jump to conclusions and quickly say more money is required.  However, the study shows that flexible working schedules and flexible working environments are more persuasive that financial compensation.

This should come to no surprise to many web workers.  Being able to work partially or fully from home is a valuable benefit that we enjoy.  When it’s appropriate for an individual’s job role, it is in a companies’ best interest to be accommodating to worker’s needs.  For example, if I have a doctor’s appointment to schedule, I know with my employer will allow me to work flexible hours.  Therefore, I’ll schedule the appointment for 4:00 (late in the afternoon) and go into work an hour early to make up the time.  Otherwise, I’d have to take an hour of paid leave for an activity that wasn’t nearly as fun as a vacation.

Other benefits arise from allowing employees to work from home.  If an employee is granted the ability to work from home just one day a week, their fuel consumption is cut by 20% instantly.  Plus the employee doesn’t have to drive to/from work, giving them more time for personal tasks and increasing their overall happiness with the company they work for.

Offering flexible work environments and hours is an advantageous ways for corporations to extend a benefit to employees in a no-cost manner.

What are your thoughts?  Are there any business managers who have thoughts for or against flexible schedules/work environments?

(image courtesy: Flickr user Bill Dimmick)

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