My Organized Biz

Many boomers are grandparents.  Some live near their grandchildren; others are at a distance.  Some take on babysitting duties; others only visit occasionally, due to distance and time logistics.

What happens when you have a small business that consumes your time, too?  You must organize your business and grandparenting time.

“What!  Organize your grandparenting time! Schedule your grandchildren into your life!” some people may gasp in horror.

Boomers are entitled to their life and business.  Perhaps the business is enabling them to be independent, so they aren’t dependent upon their children.

However, to be part of their grandchildren’s lives…to help parents, too, it may be imperative to schedule or organize your time for the youngsters.  This can be especially true if a boomer has a home business, whereby children and others often don’t think grandparents have a schedule to keep or deadlines to meet.

One grandmother, who has a home business and grandchildren living nearby, does schedule time with them.  There are days she’s available for babysitting, but she makes it clear she’s not a “built in” babysitter.  She has commitments involving her business.  Specific days, or parts of days, are set aside for the grandkids.  She’s flexible, but when she’s busy with her business, she’s not available for babysitting.

How do you organize your grandparenting time if you have a small business or home business?  Do you drop everything at your children’s or grandchildren’s whims?  Or do you make it clear that there are business commitments, just as there would be if you had an outside-the-home job or worked for someone else at a small business?

What techniques do you use for establishing business time and grandparenting time?

(Image: sxc.hu)

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