Help with a Only Child for a WAHM Mom

I also have one child (late in life). I work from home, but also need to go into an office 2 days a week. i worked out a babysitting exchange with a friend of my daughters. It's working great. The days her friend is over, I can work as they entertain themselves. The days she's at her friends house, I can go into the office (or work from home). Works for us... good luck.

Your son needs a friend. Have him invite a friend or two over to play. It will do wonders so you can get work done. Also, maybe set up a play group for your son's friends involving their mothers. I only have one child left at home that sometimes seems like 3. I try to get him involved playing with his buddies. Have a set time that you will be there for him to play or just chat then tell him when you go to work that he will get to play for a few hours without disturbing you.

play days, even if the kids are at your house they keep each other occupied. I have a much better time with my daughter when she has a friend over instead of the constant need for my attention

I personally think working at home is no different from if you work at an office, with no commute time and more casual office attire. I am very impressed you have been able to do this for so long! Put yourself first in a healthy way which I assume means you like your work and get fufillment from it. The child should be in day care, or find young neighbor child you can pay to come over and help you all day! I don't know why people think they can magically have different responsibilities just because they are home. Day care can actually be alot of fun, our local school has a really fun summer program( same people who do the before and after school), and it is very reasonable. It seems like that would be what's best for him and you too! Good luck!

At 7 yrs old chances are a lot of his friends are going to different day camps. Maybe finding a week or two that has something that your son is interested in and letting him go. As he gets older even considering sleep over camp. Organizations like Y's, scouts, parks and recreation depts, and more all offer different day camps.
Having worked at camps I do not recommend a child attending overnight camps until they have had the experience of doing some day camps if you want to consider overnight camps in the future.

On the weeks he doesn't attend a daycamp or if you don't want to send him to something like daycamp is there a friend who would be at home that he and the friend could alternate days at perhaps another WAHM who has a child of a similiar age that your son gets along with. Alternate days for example you could take Mondays, Tuesday mornings, and Wednesday afternoons, while the other mom takes Tuesday afternoons, Wednesday mornings, and Thursdays. Use Fridays as a complete day off or alternate Fridays.
When you have your son and the other child they can play together while you work and you can do things together on your breaks. On the days that your son is at the other family's home those would be the days to schedule your heavier work.

T.

Perhaps your son would benefit from a day camp for a week or two, or regularly scedualed swiming lessons, or have him go over to friend's houses for playdates once a week, he sounds so bored sitting at home indoors for hours a day when it is summer time and he needs some real active play outside! It is wonderful that you have worked from home to be there to care for him, but now that he is 7 he really is old enough to be away from you for a few hours for some enrichment activities. Good luck!

Hi R.,
Maybe look into a program at your local recreation center for your son to join for the summer. They have fun activities like swimming, sports, bowling, art, etc. Or there are also day "camps" throughout the summer months for kids as well. Working at home is great but your son needs stimulation throughout the day. Especially when school is out. Daycare is not always a bad thing. It could be a great and fun way for him to get some interaction with other kids and to participate in structured activities. There are a lot of great places out there.
Take care, B.

I think you have had great advice - I work at home part time but I'm also a child psychologist. Your son needs some limit-setting. First, when you're working, he needs to be in another room, not your office. Your work time is not his time to bother you and he's plenty old enough to both play by himself and to take care of himself - get a snack or a drink, find his toys, read a book, etc. You need to let him know there will be rewards for observing the rules - when he follows the rules he will have time with you for something fun, when he intrudes, he loses the time alone with you - no movie, no trip to the park, etc. Then he gets to choose what he wants to do.
Having a friend over is a great idea. Having play dates at other kids' homes is also helpful. When he has someone else to engage his attention, it takes some of the pressure off of you.
For my son, day camp was the magic answer. He needed more structured activities. It's not daycare - it's a chance to have fun activities and a new environment. He does sports, computer camp, hiking, etc. Every week he does something different. Try the zoo, the art museum, etc. They all offer classes for kids your son's age. What interests your son? It doesn't have to be every week, nor does it have to be all day. Just give him something to engage his attention and his imagination.

Working from home is a great and wonderful way to be able to "be there" for your son and I comend you on your tactics to get to spend time with him during the day, however in my opinion your son is not getting enough socialization. Daycares and preschools are good things and great places for children to go. YOur son may be having trouble with boredom, there is only so much to do by yourself. enroll him in a camp or daycare program 1-2 days a week. Is he going to school in the fall. I love the fact that some moms can stay home or work from home but childcare for children is great, they make friends, learn new games, songs, how to get along with others. I hope this may help.

When my kids were younger I had a few items that I ONLY let them play with when I was working. One was an old camera with no film but they loved "taking pictures" and figuring out how it worked. We also saved the legos and other building toys for this time. Special art supplies or playdough were also a favorite. I could often get a half hour to an hour depending on how interested they were. Sometimes I would rotate the toys so they could have different things but always keep them fresh so they wanted them. They would come to me and ask, "Mom, don't you have some work to do?"
Hope this help you. Blessings!

I work at home too, I have a 7 year old, a 3 year old and a 1 year old. Luckily they have each other to playwith but they still drive me nuts when I am trying to get work done and they always know when I have something really important that has to get done. Most days we make it work though. My oldest I "employ" during the summer when she is home. I give her little tasks to do as my assistant. She does basic filing and helps with her brother and sister. She likes earning a few dollars and it helps me. I am always looking for more ideas as to how to make it work better as well, hopefully others have some out there!

My thought, and there is some other great advice here, is that maybe while you are working he should be too. Perhaps not all of it, but he could have some schoolwork or workbooks or something to learn. Try getting him into some training videos on lynda.com, for example. Who knows, maybe he'll make an income someday!

O am also a WAHM with 4 girls, and summer time s definitely hard! It got to the point at one time that we hired a babysitter to come over and watch them. Now, however, we pay THAM to babysit themselves. for every 1 hour of good quality work time they let me have, they each get $1.00. Then, at the end of the week, I take them shopping. To make these mean more, we have stopped buying WANTS for them. If there is anything they NEED, Dad and I get it. If they WANT it, they have to buy it. Makeup, new shirt, fingernail polish, new flip flops, trip to the pool...that is all on them. It took us about 1 month to "train" them, but it is totally worth it!!! I get all my work done in 3 - 4 hours a day instead of it taking ALL STINKING DAY LONG. :) Good luck!

I work from home and have one child as well, a later-in-life baby, although my stepson is also around a lot in the summer. I hired a teenager to come into my home four mornings a week, and she's been a lifesaver for me as far as getting work done. She's not left alone with my baby, so I don't need to pay her high babysitting wages, but she can play with the baby, give her bottles, make her lunch, get her settled for her afternoon nap, etc, and Mom is always nearby if the baby needs a snuggle or if there is a problem. She takes the kids to the pool at the town homes where I live, and she does activities such as basic cooking with my stepson, who is older. She's really been a godsend. I pay her about forty dollars a week, though that may be a bit on the low side because she's the granddaughter of a good friend. It may be a little late for this year, but next spring, you might start checking around at your local church or middle school, or with your friends who have older children. Good luck! Working from home and raising a child is hard, but the rewards are awesome!