I left a good job to be more present with my kids. I’m OK with my career not looking like everyone else’s.

The author (not pictured) says that kids’ schedules don’t align with work schedules.

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I knew a traditional work schedule wouldn’t work for me as a mom. I wanted to see my kids grow up, but work burned me out. I defined what my ideal life as and then worked backward to achieve it.

Working 8-to-5 feels standard in our society. But when school ends at 3, the latest dental appointment is at 4:30, and kids’ sports games start at 5:30, it’s easy to see how jobs get in life’s way.

Long before my kids started school and sports, I knew a traditional work schedule wouldn’t work for us.

So, 10 years ago, I created my own — and my family is thriving.

I left a good job to be more present at home

Having two kids under 2 gave me a new perspective. They grow up fast, and I wanted a front-row seat to every moment. But working on a schedule built by someone else often means neglecting personal matters.

Staying late at work and having good attendance made me a great employee but a burned-out parent. I felt my job was on the chopping block if I left the office for a special day care event or took a sick day.

Full-time employment zapped my energy and focus. Dinner, dishes, baths, and various other household chores stole most of my non-working hours. Simply put, my kids weren’t getting the best parts of me.

My desk job helped cover bills, but it felt like a means to an end. I craved more from my career than a paycheck, and a couple of PTO days, so I left my safety net to start my own business as a freelance writer.

I started building a client list before I resigned to ensure I could replace my income. What felt like beginner’s luck became sustainable and predictable work, giving me the confidence to become my own boss.

Flexibility is the real work-life balance

Being present was the primary goal. But a self-made job also came with other surprises: I tripled my income, worked fewer hours, and didn’t feel the “mom guilt” of choosing between my family and the income I needed to support them.

Most importantly, I can schedule work around life and give my family the best of me, not what’s left over.

With a 100% digital business, I take my laptop to my son’s baseball practices or my daughter’s dance and tumble classes. I work during school hours, after homework, while dinner’s cooking, or after bedtime stories. I can prioritize home-cooked meals, schoolwork assistance, extracurriculars, and even volunteering.

Building a career around my family came with a few trade-offs. I don’t have employer-sponsored benefits or paid time off. My income fluctuates from month to month. I pay more in taxes. And since I work from home, technically I never leave the office.

But it’s also given me the work/life balance that many people only dream of. I work at my convenience from the comfort of my own home. My schedule lets me exercise daily and cook healthy lunches instead of relying on fast food. And I can be available to my children, however, and whenever they need me — even with a strong village, there’s no substitute for Mom.

My career doesn’t look like others

Self-employment isn’t an automatic win for work/life balance. I made intentional choices to create a career that worked for me, taking into account the size of my business, work schedule, pricing, and infrastructure.

Rather than “finding” a line of work, I considered my ideal life. Then, I worked backward to connect those dots and create a career that checked my boxes.

A job is a necessary part of life. Parents need a good income to support a family. But my greatest work is raising healthy, confident, well-rounded children so they can become successful adults.

I might be the only parent working on a laptop at the ballfield or in my car in the school pick-up line. But being present — whether on the sidelines or around the dinner table — is what truly defines success.