Kids as Colleagues

Did you ever have the urge to “strongly encourage” a colleague to “go to your room?” We talk a lot here about immature, irresponsible behavior…. childish (NOT childlike!) attitudes that somehow trail into adult life and the workplace, often making an employer feel more like a parent than a supervisor.

But is it ever appropriate to send a colleague to timeout? Or to hold back a paycheck until household chores are complete?

If you work in a retail or office setting you’ve probably decided I’m nuts… but if you’re one of the millions of entrepreneurs who work from home then you’re laughing along with me.

Many parents choose a home-based business so that making a living doesn’t keep them from having a life…. but are sometimes stressed by creating the boundaries that are flexible enough for home yet professional enough for business!

Many of the mompreneurs that I know opt for one of my favorite solutions: doing the work that requires extreme quiet either very early in the morning or after everyone else has gone to bed. Others choose to employ their kids for specific business-related duties such as housekeeping and maintenance, shipping or supply clerk. As long as the parent views this time more as “kid time” than “work time” it’s a strategy that can develop your child’s work ethic and interest in entrepreneurship. (Many of us have also found that when the kiddos understand and have a stake in the family business it can become easier for them to manage an hour or so of ‘quiet time’ when you really need it.)

I’m going to be talking about these things a little later today on Jeane’ Bennett’s BlogTalk radio show AtHome Business. Location: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/jeane

In addition, I’ve been working with the Direct Selling Women’s Alliance – the professional organization for independent direct sellers (party plan, network and other at-home business) and find that the resources they have available are outstanding.

Regardless of how they choose to make a living when they are older, teaching our kids about entrepreneurial thinking is a gift that will help them look for ways to serve others and solve problems…. not a bad trait to share????