Many of us have a primary helper for doing what we’re doing – a partner, spouse, parent, good friend. Their emotions include excitement and pride in what you’re trying to do, and trepidation about money and resentment about perceived freedom and laziness.

Working at home changes those relationships, and don’t we know it. A partner can be supportive one week, have an internal crisis about where the money for bills will come from, and then can be annoyed and discouraging the next. A husband might wonder why the dishes don’t get done during the day. A parent might disapprove of how you keep your house – if you’re going to be working all day and ignoring your children, why not just do it in an office downtown while you’re at it?

Working at home also changes the way you relate to your children, and how they see you. They might not be used to having you around all the time. If you have babies, you might feel tied down with them in a way you didn’t when you were working outside the home.

“What do you do all day” is a crushing question when anyone asks it; when it’s your partner or spouse, it can put you into a tailspin for the week. On Thursdays, this blog will focus on our relationships with other people and how we can strengthen them.