Homeward BOUND

Can working from home work for you?

- Emily Schappcher

Just three weeks before her maternity leave was over, Caroline Arey knew she could never go back to her full-time office job. Financially, becoming a stay-at-home mom wasn’t an option, but after crunching the numbers, Arey, a marketing professional, and her husband, a chef, determined that securing some freelance work would help supplement her lost income.

Arey took the risk and left her corporate job in March 2015. She then started her own firm, offering social media, marketing and copy writing services for five regular clients — all from the comfort of her own home and with her daughter, now 19 months old, by her side.

“I knew, based on our family structure, that I couldn’t be a full-time stay-at-home mom without work, but I feel like the schedule I have now allows me to be as much of a stay-at-home mom as I can be,” says Arey, who lives in Matthews, North Carolina. “I put my daughter to bed every night and wake her up every morning. I never miss a milestone.”

With more parents craving a better work-life balance and more companies offering flexible work options, some parents are finding ways to work from home instead of commuting to an office. While this allows parents the best of both worlds — the opportunity to spend more time with their kids while maintaining their professional careers — there are challenges that come with this type of arrangement.

“I like that I contribute financially to my family, that I’m keeping my skill set fresh and that I have an identity with my work,” Arey says. “And I love that I get to do story times and play dates and be an insider in my child’s life. It’s the best of both worlds.”

Setting a Schedule