Kids are going back to school. For every age and every stage, be present when they need you.
The house is quiet again. You want to be home for the kids after school. But the summer-spend fund is depleted. Remote work means you can earn a living and still be there when they need you.
Another summer is in the books. It’s time to get back to business – and back to school. The house (and the wallet!) feels a little emptier by the end of August. Back-to-school supplies and wardrobes can drain the bank account in the blink of an eye. Plus, the current cost of groceries and gas makes it even tougher to get things done on a budget.
The bank account could use a little TLC – but how can you make money and still be present for the littles after school? The kids need the snacks, the cuddles, and the homework help! But there is no need to compromise what’s most important to make an income.
Flexible remote work means you can replenish the savings, make a living, and avoid commuting costs, while still being present for your people.
Lessons learned outside of school. What the pandemic taught us.
If you’ve already discovered the glory that is the work-from-home life, you know how valuable it is for the parent who wants to be present. If we learned anything from the pandemic, we learned, among other things:
- Washing hands is a good thing
- Family is a treasure to cherish
- Life is short, so live it with purpose
- Working from home is possible
Parents no longer need to choose between raising their kids and making a living. We have discovered that – with the right resources, the right attitude, and the right opportunity – working from home is a productive experience, both personally and professionally.
What’s more, when you are afforded flexibility to work around your life, on a schedule you create, you can actually live and thrive! You can spend time doing what’s most important among your most important people.
You’re able to pick up the kids from school, share snack-time together, assist with homework. You don’t have to miss the ball game or the track meet. Flexible scheduling means you can be fully present for the family – doing life together, without compromise.
Kids are kids once. Don’t miss it.
There will always be work to do – but kids are kids only once. At every age and every stage, they need you. While the demands may be different, a flexible work schedule means you can update your hours as they age and their needs change.
Pre-schoolers need naptime, snack-time and cuddle-time.
During these formative years, when they’re learning the value of structure and the meaning of “no,” it’s so important to segment out a schedule between their engaged hours and their downtime. Why not build your worktime around naptime, logging off just as they’re waking up? Make an evening work routine after they’re down for the night. There are many work opportunities with evening hours for night-owls.
Elementary school-aged children may need homework help and taxiing to after-school activities.
Kids in elementary and middle school have different needs. While they’re in class, you could be working and earning, ending your day just in time for school pick-ups and bus drop-offs. Spend time with the kids, catching up on the day’s events, helping with homework, and having dinner together as a family. This type of flexibility means you can be at the game, the recital, or the dinner table. Whatever they need, you can build a work schedule around it. And to boost that earning potential, pick up a few more hours after they’re in bed.
High-schoolers are more independent…
but with the dangers of social media and too much screen-time, it’s never been more important to be mindful and knowledgeable about how your teens are spending their time. They may not need “cuddle-time” per se, but they do need your time and attention.
The best, most-meaningful conversations you will ever have with your kids will likely be during adolescence. The rides to and from school may unveil the most life-changing chats with your teens. A flexible work schedule means you can be on-the-clock while they’re in class, and be fully present for evening conversations, necessary accountability and supportive engagement. More than ever, they need real-life, in-person facetime with you.
Even college students need family time
They’re still in school, even if they’re adults. College-age kids still need guidance and mentorship. If they’re living on-campus, you have even more work flexibility. You can build a schedule around their class schedule, pulling in as many hours as possible to help cover school expenses. Plan your work around when they’re home, so you can be fully available for time together, even if it’s just a few hours. Plus, with the skyrocketing cost of college, flexible work allows you to supplement the income, to help minimize school debt for your adult-in-training.
Work around your family’s needs. It is possible.
For every stage of your school-aged kid, there is a way to make work work. Craft a tailor-made, remote work schedule that allows you to be the parent they need, whatever grade they’re in. One of the unique advantages of the Arise® Platform is the flexibility in scheduling – you get to select the times you want to service. So you can work nights in the summer (after they’re tuckered out from hours in the sun) and switch things up just as the school season begins.
You don’t have to sacrifice your role as a parent in order to feed your family. There are options. With remote work and flexible scheduling – you can avoid childcare costs and afford time with your children. After the last few years, we have learned that time is precious. Don’t spend your days away from your priorities or your evenings commuting from a job that’s pulling you away from those most important to you.
Long after they’ve graduated from school and become adults, they will remember the investment you made in them today. They may not remember every detail, but they will hold dear the moments when they needed you and you were there.
Be near today. They will remember tomorrow.
