My kids are older now, but when they were younger—still elementary school age—I was working in my first home business. I worked consulting with nonprofit organizations on management, structure and fundraising. Since I worked from home, my children’s friends and their friends’ parents often just assumed I was a stay-at-home parent and that I was available to supervise. Many home business owners wrestle with being treated like a free drop-in sitter.
It can be tough because many of us ARE looking after our own children. We are available parents to them and trying to work at the same time. Part of a child’s life involves play dates and socializing and there can be elements of our lives that fit the SAHM profile. If we have been staying home and THEN decide to start a home business, it can further complicate our work and parent boundaries. If people are used to dropping their kids off to play, it can be a tough precedent to break.
The only solution I know of is to be really clear and firm. You have to be the one to set the parameters and structure for your business because no one else is going to. Even if your children will be home with you while you work, you can have a “no friends until work hours are over” rule. I found that I had to be really vocal about telling people—including my kids—when I was working. It took a little while but my kids eventually learned that just because I was home and they were home did not mean that I was totally “on” as the supervising mom. I would tell those other parents the truth: “I have to work tomorrow morning so I need to have your child home by 8:00 am” and eventually people realized that just because I was working from home did not mean that I could be available whenever.
See Also: Is Going Back to Work Really Worth It?