Summertime Survival for Parent Entrepreneurs

During the winter months, we long for days of fun in the sun with the kids and a more leisurely pace of life. But by the time the 4th of July rolls around, many parents begin double checking the calendar for the first day of school. Oh, the cycle! And if you are a work from home parent this may be especially true if your work schedule has hit a brick wall with the kid's activities or perhaps their boredom. We all want the summer months to be memorable for our families but we also need them to be productive to keep our businesses running smoothly.

It is a tough balance between spending precious time with your children and getting work done to keep your business running. It can be an exhausting combination. So what can be put in place to reduce, or better yet, eliminate the stress?

Figuring out the solution is definitely a family project and a common goal of making summer fun, but at the same time, mom and dad need their time to get work done. The more work mom and dad can get done, the more fun everyone can have together. So if your kids are old enough, plan a time to talk about the various opportunities and ideas they have for the summer. You may have to set a budget or find carpool buddies to share in the travel time. Also encourage ideas and activities that do not have a fee associated with them.

Putting structure in place is a great start by scheduling work times as well as activities and events for the kids and the family. A schedule allows the children to know what to expect and have a variety of activities to look forward to. Create an event schedule - Monday's are craft day, Tuesday's are field trip days, etc. and have a theme week. Finding independent activities centered on the theme week can provide time for you to focus on your work. For example, camping week can include using a pile of blankets to build a tent, which can entertain the kids for hours.

Field trip days can provide a fun break and an opportunity to share time together. Camping theme week may involve taking a nature hike and catching bugs. Another theme week can be based on the Olympics and having sports events at the local park. Another week can be art week with a trip to the museum.

And how do you prevent the nagging interruptions in your scheduled work time? The easiest solution with the least amount of stress may be hiring a high school or college student to come in when you need to work. They can play with the kids and help with a few chores around the house. They can also help with chauffeuring duty to get the kids to and from their activities.

Try and schedule activities around the same time for each child so it only requires you to leave the house fewer times, leaving you more time for your work. Also, coordinating these times with neighbor kids will allow you to schedule work time around carpooling.

Life is so precious and the opportunity to spend time with our family is a gift. Teaching our children to be independent and develop a good work ethic is also a gift that we can share with them. Having our children around us for the summer provides a great opportunity to spend quality time with them as well as teach them valuable skills as they witness the life of a home-based entrepreneur.