Celebrating YOU!
Work at home moms taking super mom to the next level
Delana Lefevers
In 2010, Delana Lefevers was left with the task of how to provide for her & her 3 small children. That's when she decided to put her talent for words to use. She became a freelance writer & WAHM. FW Magazine Editor Stacee Schmidt-Cottrell spoke with Delana about the world of writing & how it's given this mom the ability to be free of more than just an office job.
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Why did you decide to become a WAHM?
I was a military wife at the time, & we were living overseas. I needed a way to raise money to come home for my grandmother’s funeral, so I looked around for jobs I could do online from home. After that, I realized that I really loved the freedom & flexibility of having a job with no set hours.
What did you do BEFORE you became a WAHM?
I did a little of everything, trying to find my place in the world & in the workplace.
What is the best part of working from home?
The very best part of being a work at home mom is being here for my kids at all times. I’m here when they wake up, when they come home, when they go to bed, & if they have to leave school early due to illness or a doctor’s appointment. It’s really the best of both worlds: I get to hang out with my kids always, but I also get professional fulfillment & I make an okay living.
What do you like the least?
Finding a balance between work & life is the very hardest part of this lifestyle. Some days I just want to go out & play, But like any other job, this one has to be taken seriously & I need to spend an appropriate amount of every day working.
Do you think working from home is for everyone?
No, I don’t think working from home is something that everyone should attempt. It’s mentally taxing, especially when you have a child tugging at your sleeve to go play outside but you really need to get that one last piece of work finished. It’s physically exhausting at times because you end up sleeping less in order to fit everything in. It gets lonely when your only communication with coworkers is through the occasional email. Still, it’s a lifestyle that I wouldn’t trade for anything.
Do you see yourself still WAH in 5 years from now?
Absolutely. In addition to my online writing, I’m writing two books & preparing to open a used bookshop. I can’t imagine ever going back to an office environment!
What advice do you offer new WAH moms?
Be persistent & be patient. At first it can seem like door after door is being shut in your face, but there is an opportunity out there for just about everyone. Personally, I had to start at the very bottom, writing articles for literally pennies. But as I got better & built my portfolio, I was able to get higher- paying gigs & eventually work my way up to
writing full-time.
Do you think more companies should offer the opportunity to work from home?
Working from home reduced the pollution caused by commuting & reduces office-wide illnesses. It allows families more time to bond & even keeps overhead down for companies who don’t have to maintain offices for large workforces. What’s not to love?
What myths do you want to debunk about being
a WAHM?
A lot of people seem to think that working from home makes the job easier. On the contrary, it can be much more difficult to stay focused & organized,& to get the gist of a project when there’s no real- time collaboration. You’ll often end up working longer hours when you work from home,
What is the toughest part of being a WAHM?
This is hard for me to say, but the toughest part home for me is saying no. When people find out that I’m a writer/editor, they suddenly want me to write &/or edit a whole stack of things for them – for free, of course. If I did that for everyone who asked, I would never have time to get my actual paying work done.
What is your secret to not letting your work consume your family time?
My secret is so secret that even I don’t know it! Too often I find myself telling my kids we can’t go to the park because I have work to do, or letting them eat peanut butter & jelly sandwiches for dinner because I’m in the middle of something. I need to set boundaries on my time & say that this time is for working, this time is for family, & this time is for myself..
Anything else you would like to add?
Working at home is not always a walk in the park, but it can definitely give you more opportunities to learn about yourself and the type of worker you are. There is no shame
in giving up an at-home job to go back to an office job if you find working at home too challenging or distracting. Everyone has different needs when it comes to working, so there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Try it out and if it isn’t for you, maybe you need the structure
of a traditional
office environment.
Clebrating You! Continued on Page 39