So, you want to work from home, do you? Well, sure you do, or at least you think you do. But, before you decide to quit your 9 to 5 and become homeward bound, you might be wise to consider some common working-from-home myths and truths.

The following myths and truths and are based on my first-hand accounts and personal experiences as a work at home mom.

Myth #1: I won’t have to spend money on child care anymore.

Wrong. When’s the last time your toddler’s attention span lasted more than 10 minutes? You’ll spend every 10 minutes trying to concentrate, desperate for a intelligent thought and the next 5 minutes picking up your cd’s off the floor and putting them back into their cases.

Then, you’ll again spend another 10 minutes in attempt to concentrate and focus again. And, for the next 5 minutes you’ll be taking away the Fruit Loops box and trying to hurry up and pick the cereal off the floor before the dog ends up getting sick.

And, this will be your daily routine, not to mention the 2 hours you’ll have to spend every day cleaning up after your daily hurricane. YiKeS!

Seriously, you’ll be hurting for childcare in the worst way! You’re going to want and need childcare - period!

Myth #2: I’ll work while my baby is sleeping.

Wrong. Babies never sleep when you want them to or when it is convenient for you. You already know this. Everyone else’s babies will sleep, but yours won’t, trust me!

Myth #3: I will be able to spend more time with my family.

Wrong. You’ll certainly be home a whole lot more but you won’t be spending your time with your family - you’ll be working.

You’ll be trying to grab every spare moment you can in order to work and be successful. And, your family won’t understand. They just won’t, not at least for awhile. This part takes time and a whole lot of it.

Your family will feel rejected, they’ll get frustrated and you’re going to end up a bit stressed out until things start to fall in place.

You’ll end up being the mom in the back bedroom who seems to find her work more important than her family (which isn’t true). It will happen, I’m telling you - it will.

Myth #4: I’ll finally be able to get my housework done.

Wrong. No how, No way, uh, uh! It ain’t happenin’! Laundry becomes heaps of dirty clothes in your laundry room. Your family members will start stealing clean pairs of socks from each others rooms.

Dishes will pile up in your sink until you finally resort to paper plates and plastic cups and you find yourself throwing a fit when anyone accidentally uses a “real dish”.

You’ll either end up begging your housekeeper to come back or you’ll be seriously considering hiring one! What’s worse yet is that things like grocery shopping and banking become appointments that you have to make with yourself and force yourself to keep.

Myth #5: It’s so much easier now that I’m my own boss.

Wrong again! Now it’s all on your shoulders! You can’t just show up at a certain time, do your work, go home and get paid. Now you’ve got to create, gain and get and complete all of your own work in order to get paid!

So, now you end up a slave to your own work. You’ll work countless hours, days, nights and weekends in order to scratch out your pay. Working from home and being your own boss, like anything, has it pros and cons. Knowing about these pros and cons will definitely help you to better prepare yourself for many of the things that can be difficult.

I have learned that nothing worth having comes easy, neither does scratching out a living working from home. Keep yourself in the know and always be prepared for the unexpected!

What myths and truths have you experienced working from home?

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