-
-
|
Living in a
Three Ring Circus
© 1998,
by Lisa M. Roberts
There's a well-kept secret on my block
that nobody knows about but me. Well, maybe my kids know about
it too, but not my husband. And maybe the UPS and Federal Express
guys have taken a peek, but not my neighbors. OK, everyone knows
that I'm an "Entrepreneurial
Parent" -- but what
they don't know is what my household has to turn
into for this to happen.
The truth is I run a three-ring
circus every weekday, right here in my home. No kidding. You
have to see it to believe it, and very few do. It's a circus
with no audience and no set act, no fancy costumes, loud music
or live animals. But if you open the front door when youÌre
not expected to, you are sure to find a whole lot of activity
going on -- including balancing acts, gymnastic-type leaps, some
clowning around and, on a few glorious occasions, a touch of
magic...
If you're an Entrepreneurial Parent, you know what I'm talking about. In
one ring there's the kids -- toddling or scurrying about -- looking
for fun, adventure, and a wipe (thank you very much!). In the
second ring there's your household -- chores, bills, repairs,
calendar-tracking, holiday planning and the like. And in the
third ring there's your work -- documents, clients, keyboard
activity, phone calls, mailings, bookkeeping, taxes, et al. Your
role as an Entrepreneurial
Parent strikingly resembles
that of a Ring Master, and if you don't take command of this
demanding job that circus of yours will simply fold.
How, as a Ring Master, do you
keep the show going without compromising each act? The first
trick is to make sure all three rings are properly prepared,
practiced and can operate independently at times.
For instance, if that first ring
includes pre-school age children, then it should also include
a steady babysitter. No question, supplemental childcare is a
must for this circle to operate effectively on its own. Preparation
here means finding the right chemistry between childcare provider
and child(ren), ongoing and honest discussions with each participant,
and monetary budgeting. The practice part is simply putting in
the time, preferably on a steady and part-time basis. With your
monitoring and their enthusiasm, you should find (most of the
time!) that this ring can and will run independently when you
need it to.
As for the second and third rings,
technology lends a hand to boost the independence level within
these arenas. From dishwashers, microwaves and dryers, to computer
programs, modems and voice mail systems, a few of the juggling
acts within the household and business routines are "Ring
Master-Free"! Put in a load of dishes, a load of laundry
and a leftover meal; let the answering machine take your calls,
the accounting program calculate your monthly profit margin,
and your web page answer some of your prospects' questions. No
guilt necessary -- you're a working parent and you need help.
The other responsibility of a
Ring Master is to be ready and able to step into all three acts
yourself as needed. This is simple enough one step at a time,
but it's quite a feat when all three rings need your help at
once.
Unlike a real circus grounded
in rehearsals and repetition, Entrepreneurial Parenthood is often free-flowing and spontaneous,
uncovering a new act every day. Sometimes -- despite your best
attempts at planning -- the school bus pulls up the street at
the same moment the express mail truck pulls up the driveway
at the same moment the dryer bell rings. You have to weigh needs
versus consequences before deciding which one of the rings to
step into first. Do you greet your kids with a welcome home smile
or turn your back? Sign for the package or make the driver wait
a few minutes? Fold clothes immediately or let them become one
big ball of wrinkles?
Coming up with a work ethic to
live by can help. Mine is family first, career second, housekeeping
third. Although I make it my business to alternate center stage
activity among all three, having that value system in place helps
me prioritize when all three acts unexpectedly demand my performance
at once.
Running a circus can be fun and
tedious, energizing and exhausting. We hope it will be lucrative.
We also hope we can keep it our little secret. Towards that end,
it may be a good idea to tip the pizza man with a wink and a
couple of bills every Friday evening. After all, you wouldn't
want him to spread the word around town...(the last thing this
circus of yours needs is an audience!).
- Lisa Roberts is the mother of four,
owner of The
Entrepreneurial Parent, LLC and the author of How to Raise A Family &
A Career Under One Roof: A Parent's Guide to Home Business
(Bookhaven Press, 1997). Copies of her book are available for
purchase at EP
and through
Amazon.
|