// MISSION //Being a work from home dad is great, but it’s far from easy.Not only can the boundaries between work and family become easily blurred, but it can be very lonely.So that’s why I started Work From Home Dads.I’m on a mission to create a community of WFH dads helping each other thrive both professionally and personally.// MY JOURNEY TO BECOMING A WORK-FROM-HOME DAD //I was about to start my 11th year as a middle school teacher. My daughter was 18 months old and we were making plans to get her started in pre-school. But as the first day of school approached (and the covid-19 pandemic continued), my wife Sara and I were realizing we weren’t ready to send her.That meant one of us had to stay home to take care of her.With Sara being a pediatrician (and making significantly more than I was as a teacher) her staying home with Audrey wasn’t an option for us financially.But I resisted the idea of being a stay at home dad.I felt staying home would be abandoning my responsibility to provide financially for my family. I didn’t need to make more money than my wife, but I needed to be making SOME money.Not to mention that Sara had been wanting to go part-time for years.Staying home and not working would be putting the ENTIRE financial burden on her. I couldn’t do that. I wouldn’t do that.I also struggled because I thought I’d be a teacher forever. I was a great teacher.I won teacher of the year twice.Students loved my classes.I was respected by my colleagues and admin. I had a vision to build up my side-hustle alongside teaching to earn enough of an income that Sara would be able to go part-time.To leave teaching would be to walk away from that.I remember talking to my dad about it, and he reminded me:‘You gotta do what’s best for your family.’My family needed me to be home. And I needed was to earn an income.And so that’s what I did.I left teaching and began working from home, first at a 3-person startup, then at a larger 80-person fully remote company.And eventually, I was able to make more money than I was in the classroom and Sara was able to go part-time to spend more time at home!// ACCOMPLISHMENTS //In my first 6 months at ConvertKit, I was working from home while watching my 6-month old Tam.The role was demanding but through time management systems, I was able to receive a 'sets a new standard' evaluation in my first job performance review.All while still making time to spend with the family everyday and get a workout in.