Raising Alaska...

As a parent who's telecommuted from home for over a decade, I'm no stranger to the many challenges of being a work-at-home Mom. It's a struggle to address housework and home planning while juggling the commitments of school and extracurricular activities; these vie for the same time you've committed to your professional career.

I tell you, it takes a special kind of will-power to close the door on the dirty dishes and waiting laundry to focus on the professional work on the screen in front of you. Or maybe I've become an expert on avoidance. Or maybe I'm a slob who's content to wallow while I dig into a coding problem.

Whatever the issue, there's no denying the fact that working affects the family life and vice versa, whether you're working from home or not. I've always tried to find the right balance of hours that would allow me to focus on work and be professionally productive while at the same time trying to be that Super Mom who volunteers at school, works on craft projects with her kids, and puts a home-cooked meal on the table at night. Sad to say, I often fail at accomplishing it all but I'm doing my best.

When my girls were playing "Mommy" last month, I overheard them say that they really needed to make computers so they could "work from home" during their game and that made my heart smile. As I raise two intelligent and independent little girls I'm glad that 1) they want to be mommies, and 2) they see possibilities in a professional career as well. This is a shift that has occurred in our generation...an opportunity that wasn't there for my mother but is just now blossoming and will be a definite possibility for my children.