After Lisa Otto’s second child was born, she decided she had to cut back her hours at the Barron, Wis., hospital where she works as an emergency technician. Otto’s first son, then 4, had been diagnosed with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, and her husband, a carpenter, worked long and unpredictable hours. Though her mother-in-law often baby-sat, Otto’s “juggling act” had become unmanageable with the new baby.
“After my son started failing in school,” said Otto, 34, “we decided that someone needed to be home with him.”
Having his mother home during the day helped Otto’s son focus, and he started doing better. But Otto missed working. “A year later,” she said, “I needed something to do.”
Today, Otto, now a mother of three, still works weekends as an EMT. During the week, she runs a small copy-writing business out of her home, putting in long hours after her children have gone to bed. Though she began working from home to fulfill her own ambitions, with gas and food prices going up, Otto now finds her income to be essential.
“It’s an absolute must,” she said. “In the last year, with the way things are going, you really feel the pinch.”
Image from Stock.xchng.
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