Does anyone want to share their insights on finding the balance between making the money to pay the bills and spending the necessary time to parent well.

Any secrets that I can use to generate more income?

I went back to school to become a medical transcriptionist. I work at home and make pretty good money. I also work in a hotel doing banquets on-call and make what most fulltimers do. However, most work is on the weekends. We do have great lulls in work also. I am not working at all this week. But, I have still been home with my child most of the time since he was little.

Is there something you can do from home or a place you can work that you could bring her?

I own a B&B so I never have to leave my daughter which is terrific for me. But I do have it for sale (12 years is enough) and I will most likely open a little cafe when I move. Alternatively, I will work at my church with day care right there and the ability to put her in a swing next to my desk for a few hours at a time!

Several years ago I read about companies with day care centers and flexibility, maybe it was in Forbes, but it was terrific for folks who wanted to be with their kids and still be in the corporate environment.

If the cafe thing takes off I will franchise and the business model I am working on is perfect for a parent to have kid(s) there while working.

I know it is tough and making changes as important as career are daunting. I wish I knew of something concrete to tell you. Good luck!!!

I can't provide a link right now, but all over the place you'll find posts from me touting the benefits and pleasures of going to college

If you go full time, you'll have more time with your kids as classes require less than 40hours out of the home. I was able to fit all of my classes within Bobby's school hours, so I got him on and off the bus each day.

You have to do a lot of homework at night and in between classes, but that can be done while your children are asleep or busy. If you do homework around them, it's hardly the worst behavior that you could expose them to.

In order to go to school full time, you need to take out loans. It's surprising how much they will give, if you are a non-working full time student. Much of it will be a grant, which does not need to be repaid. The rest will be low interest loans that do not need to be paid (and sometimes do not accrue interest) while you are in school.

You can't live well off of loans, but you can live. You should, however, factor in the day care you'd save by not needing a 40/hour week schedule (especially during the Summer). Expenses can be quite low if you go to school, but you'd need to pick a college based on cost (including cost of living in the area).

When you graduate, if you picked you major well and did well in your classes, you will make more money than you did before school. If you have $40k in loans, but you now make $20k more per year? It pays for itself quickly. The jobs often have more freedom too, if you trained yourself to do something that's uncommon (or unpopular). Since your child will be older when you graduate, you will re-enter the workforce with lower child care costs.

Really...there's a ton of reasons why going to school quickly and early is a good idea. It's not the only way to do well, but it's within reach and often works.

Later,
Bobby

Hey Bobby,

Could you read my post please?

Livvie's Mom

Its in the section of 40 year old mothers titled Feeling Stuck - Plz Reply

quote:

Originally posted by Kwaz:
Does anyone want to share their insights on finding the balance between making the money to pay the bills and spending the necessary time to parent well.

Any secrets that I can use to generate more income?

No secret, no real solution.
All there can be is compromises, or you use free resources (such as grandmothers).
A good education helps of course, but even then it is not enough.
I read just yesterday: the model family has a father that works, a mother who takes care the kids and helps a little with the income.
Sorry, I am being sarcastic. But it can help to face the truth, to realise that a big decision is required sometimes (like it was for me 4 years ago).