| I was a licensed nurse and had the map of my life | | | | eliminate a great deal of stress that was controlling my |
| routed out to specifics. I had a plan in mind that included | | | | life, and began to experience the fulfillment of being a |
| goals, dreams, anticipations and expectations. No one | | | | full-time parent to my special needs child and became |
| knows how quickly those things change unless you | | | | enabled to work from home to help financially support |
| have had the pleasure of experiencing the role of | | | | my family. During the past few years, I have also |
| being a special parent. Like many special parents out | | | | helped others become home-based income producing |
| there, I was struggling, looking, and wondering how I | | | | parents and here are some examples of questions |
| could continue to meet the demands of my career, all | | | | people have asked: • Was this transition |
| while caring for my child with special needs. While | | | | easy? No. If you are looking for an easy way out, |
| being a special parent is the most important role in | | | | working from home is most likely is not something for |
| your life, you also have to somehow manage a career | | | | you. If you don't have the persistence, patience and |
| and financial support. Your role is multipurpose and you | | | | are not goal-oriented, you can forget it. • Did |
| want to be there for your child, but your career | | | | you struggle? Yes, in more ways than one. • |
| demands a huge percentage of your time and efforts. | | | | How did you finally begin creating an income from |
| How can you be a special parent, cater to your | | | | home? It wasn't easy and began with many promising |
| career, provide for your family and maintain your | | | | opportunities that turned out to be less than legitimate. |
| sanity? If you or someone you know is parenting a | | | | • Did you have skills? Well of course I had |
| special needs child and trying to work outside the | | | | skills, I was a licensed nurse, but believe it or not, none |
| home, you know exactly what I am talking about. Sure, | | | | of those skills were needed at any of the opportunities |
| you can leave your child with a friend, a parent or | | | | I ran across at the time. To sum it all up, I was like |
| other caregiver, but when it comes down to specifics | | | | many other parents, struggling in the 9-5 grind, looking |
| and your child needs you, it's much easier to stop what | | | | for solutions to my situation, solutions that would allow |
| you are doing at home than it is to face your employer | | | | me to earn an income from home, be my own boss |
| and deal with their scrutiny. You have to remember, | | | | and be there for my special son all while being the |
| unless you are the parent of a special needs child, this | | | | type of parent I felt he, and my other children deserve. |
| is a situation you just about have to experience in | | | | I wanted a package deal, even if it meant changing my |
| order to understand or comprehend the importance | | | | focus, rearranging my plans and struggling, I wanted to |
| your role plays in that child's life. I always thought if | | | | be there for my special child and my other children and |
| anyone could do it, I could. I was a struggling single | | | | focus on life with them. I wanted to minimize my |
| mom with a good head on my shoulders and a | | | | absence from my family, gain some independence and |
| positive attitude. I was perfectly capable of maintaining | | | | make this transition as smooth as it could possibly be. |
| a demanding career and taking care of my special | | | | The entire process of going from working outside the |
| needs son along with my other 2 children without | | | | home to working at home hasn't been easy. It's been a |
| having to change a thing. I was bound and determined | | | | long road full of challenges and barriers. Being the |
| to succeed one way or another without having to | | | | parent of a special needs child has been the major |
| inconvenience my career or my everyday life in any | | | | motivating factor for me in my pursuit of working from |
| shape, form, or fashion. Guess what? Like many other | | | | home. You have to take those challenges and face |
| parents of special needs children, I was wrong. I had to | | | | them head on, move those barriers and leap over |
| make decisions that I really didn't want to make. In that | | | | them; get down to business. Find something you love |
| process, I had to manage transitions that were | | | | to do and turn it in to an income-producing opportunity |
| mind-blowing and difficult to say the least. I used my | | | | of your very own. For more information about Susan |
| own tactics and I compromised, I was literally at the | | | | Hill and her insight on work from home, drop in and visit |
| end of my rope and finally, in 1998, I was able to | | | | her at Break Time Virtual Services. |