If you want to work from home, as I do, there are some things that you must have if you plan to get any work done. My daughter wants my undivided attention ALL the time, so getting any work done can be a challenge. In my opinion, this is one thing that people overlook when they say that they want to work from home. The fact that your child could really care less about the fact that you need to work. They simply want your attention all the time. Here are the top 5 things that I've learned a work from home parent must have:

Patience - This might sound obvious, but it's non the less true. If you want to be a work from home parent, you must be patient. The reason for this is that at the exact moment that you want to get some work done, your child is going to need you. This is simply how it works, so you must learn to deal with it.

Flexibility - Not flexibility like a contortionist, no you need to be flexible with your time. For example, nap time is when I get a lot of work done, so the ability for me to be flexible and do my work then, rather when I think it should be done is paramount.

DVD's or Videos - Children's DVD's and/or videos can definitely buy you time to work. If my daughter watches the Cinderella video, that gives me at least an hour to work. That's huge!

Human Contact - I know human contact can be a problem for me. Sometimes a week or two will go buy without me talking to anyone but my 3-year old. This can wear on a person, so human contact is big. When we work at home, we can lose touch with the fact that the "world" is out there.

Fruit Snacks - The greatest food ever invented might be the fruit snack! If your child is anything like mine, as soon as I get on the phone, she wants to talk to me. If it's a business call, this can be a huge problem. That's where the fruit snacks come in. As soon as the telephone rings, and my daughter starts making a b-line towards me, a well placed package of fruit snacks will usually buy me the time needed to finish the phone call uninterrupted. Fruit snacks are a beautiful thing.

If you have access to or can develop these 5 things, being a work at home parent is possible. If not, you better start checking out day cares, because without these 5 things I have a hard time believing that it's possible to be a work from home parent.

Trevor Kugler is co-founder of JRWfishing.com. He has more than 15 years of business experience and 25 years of fishing experience. He currently raises his 3 year old daughter in Montana.

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