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Deciding to Work at Home

 by: Kryssa Lighthall

I wish I could stay at home with my kids and work from home so I can be with my children and earn a living, but I don't know where to start."

If you've thought or even spoken those words, you're not alone. Many women get up early, get the kids dressed, drop them off at day care, drive in rush-hour traffic, and arrive at work exhausted, thinking, "There has to be a better way."

If this sounds familiar, I have just appointed myself the good news fairy. Yes, there is a better way—that is, if you really want it and are prepared for some hard work ahead. You'll be making some trades—some good (trading commuting for working in your pajamas) and some not so good (trading paid health insurance and retirement benefits for providing your own). Work-At-Home-Magazine.com isn't about wild dreams; it tells you truthfully how you can stay home with your kids and make some money while doing something you really enjoy.

"Women today are put into a difficult situation. We're made to feel we have to work, bring in that second income, and raise good, upstanding children. If we don't, we're failures. And when the family goes to hell, the mother takes the blame. Neighbors shake their heads and sigh, "She never spent any time with those kids or her husband. She was always working. No wonder that family is so screwed up."

If we do decide to stay home with our kids, we're blamed for wasting our education. "How hard can that be, really? She probably just sits in front of the television all day." If you stay at home, however, you're more than aware of all the responsibilities you have to juggle.

Choosing to work at home can be a tough financial decision. I love the Spanish proverb that says, "A rich child often sits in a poor mother's lap." Sometimes we lose sight of our priorities and forget where our true wealth lies. If you try to make everyone happy, you're going to come out on the losing end. Working at home is a perfect solution. You can stay home with your kids and do something for yourself, all at the same time.