Work at home mom of 13 children talks about the benefit of being a stay at home mom.

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Work at Home Mom of 13 talks about the Benefits of being a Stay at Home Mom.

By Laurie Wexel

The benefits of being a stay at home mom?

As the mother of thirteen home-schooled children I have to say there are plenty! For starters, being a work at home mom allows me to contribute financially to the family and still be at home. Being a stay at home mom and home schooling our children is at the very heart of my life. To me, there isn’t a greater way to invest my life and time than in raising our children. The rewards that come from being a work at home mom and actually be the one training our children are joyfully overwhelming.

To most people the fact that I have thirteen children can bring up a lot of questions. For example, “How can you afford to raise thirteen children?”, or “You must have to work to afford to raise that many children!” It is fun and exciting to have a positive answer for both. My response is “Yes, I work to help afford all these wonderful children, but I get to be a stay at home mom because someone cared enough about me to introduce me to a work at home job for moms”.

Maybe you are already involved in a small business idea, or have a work at home idea of your own. Or maybe you have been considering being a stay at home mom but don’t have the slightest idea how you could be a work from home mom too. I would like to encourage you to dream and dream B-I-G because the benefits to you and your family by being a stay at home/ work at home mom are tremendous.

Most of us moms shudder at the possibility of missing out of our precious child’s first word, first steps or first lost tooth. By choosing to be a stay at home/work at home mom, you don’t have to miss these priceless, once in a lifetime events or worse, let someone else experience what should have been your joy. There are many benefits beyond this. You will grow as a person and your children will learn many valuable life lessons watching you work from home.

"There is simply no substitute for a child being able to grow up
around a full time parent or parents."

We chose to home school, for some of the very same reasons we chose for me to be a work from home mom. Sending them off to school meant I would miss out on many life experiences of my children. It also meant they would miss out watching me grow by being a stay at home/work at home mom. It is most definitely a challenge to be a stay at home mom, work from home and home school, but it can be done. Earlier I mentioned personal growth. Well, this is where the rubber meets the road in choosing to be a stay at home/work at home mom. One has to make the commitment to be willing to be stretched and step out of our comfort zone. The feeling of accomplishment, however, far outweighs the feeling of discomfort! There is a famous quote by Albert Einstein: “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Maybe you have been wishing you could have more control over your financial future, or would like to have more in your life than changing diapers and wiping runny noses. Or, do you have a goal that some extra income would help you meet, such as a college fund for the children, a vacation, get out of debt or maybe all you would like is to have your own spending money to surprise your husband with something once in awhile. Whatever you dreams, goals or desires may be, as Albert Einstein so aptly said, you will not gain anything different by doing the same old thing.

So where do you start? For one, find a work from home idea that suits you. You definitely want to be comfortable with what you are doing and not have your conscience bother you in the process. If you are going to get involved with an already existing company and not some small business idea of your own, thoroughly check out the integrity of any company you may be considering, both in their products and their business opportunity. Beware of opportunities that promise you money with no work involved. Unfortunately there are many companies out there who are only too willing to take your money knowing they are merely a sham.

Then make a plan for yourself. What do you want from starting your own home business? How do you plan to get there? Make a list of priorities in your life and begin weeding out those things that do not help you get where you want to go. Find someone you can talk to who can take an objective look at your life and how you spend your time. Your goal is to learn to work smarter not harder.

People ask me all the time how do I manage raising thirteen children, home-schooling and having a work at home job. It’s simple: I do the things I just recommended to you. (Notice I said simple, not easy.)

My husband is a great source of help and insight into my weaknesses so that I can continue to learn and grow. If you are married, get your husband on board with you in so far as him being supportive of what you are doing. Help him catch your vision for why you want to be a work from home mom. You may find that he would be willing to do some things to help you, so that you have some time freed up for your work at home idea. My advice after that would be to take a look at how your children spend their time. How old are they? Are they capable of pitching in and doing some chores? Is there some way they could participate in mom’s work at home idea? We start our children out as young as three years old picking up after themselves, folding wash cloths and so on. Older ones help with the cooking, cleaning and laundry. Our teens are trained to take phone calls, do mailings, and ship packages for our home business. It is a mistake to underestimate what your children can contribute to the family team. View yourself as a CEO in the running of your household and home business. Giving you children important chores enhances their self-esteem, teaches them responsibility and to enjoy the rewards of labor, can help them earn an allowance and develop a good work ethic that will serve them their whole lifetimes.

So, in all of this, I guess my encouragement to you as you make the decision to venture out as a stay at home/work at home mom is, be clear about your vision and goals and why you want them. Believe in yourself and what you know is right.

There will be plenty of negative people telling you it is a waste of your talents to stay at home or work from home. There will be times when you even will feel like giving up. But if you are convinced of your vision, where you want to go, and the benefits that are yours on the journey, you will stay the course and in the end, the rewards of being a stay at home/work at home mom are yours to enjoy!

Laurie Wexel is the mom of thirteen homeschooled children and is active in her home business. For more information you can visit her website at www.wexelhealth.com.

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