To hear some people talk about it, working from home is akin to living in a fairy tale. Others are quick to point out the pitfalls of working from home and insist that it's always best to stick with "traditional" jobs. The truth lies somewhere between these two extremes. For the most part, working from home provides many great benefits, especially for moms. However, there are some definite drawbacks to doing the whole work-from-home mom thing. Before you decide one way or another, you might as well familiarize with a few of the key arguments; they are outlined below for your convenience.

Being Home with the Kids

There are pluses and minuses to being home with the kids. On the plus side, of course, you get to spend a lot of extra time for them. You can avoid paying for daycare, which can be ridiculously expensive. Your kids get to see you working, which will instill them with great work ethics. On the other hand, working with kids in the house can be stressful. You're sure to have many interruptions, especially if your kids aren't in school full time yet; summers can be tricky, too, so it's smart to keep that in mind.

Being Your Own Boss

Many people think that the idea of being their own boss is absolutely heavenly. It can be problematic, though, depending on your overall working style. To succeed as a work-from-home mom, you have to be a little tough on yourself. If you allow yourself to take too many breaks and don't force yourself to stick to a schedule, you're probably not going to get very far. If you are highly motivated and goal oriented, though, being your own boss can be great. Be careful not to be too hard on yourself, because it is easy to do that, too.

Setting Your Own Rates

In the beginning of a work-from-home career, you're going to have to work for very little money. Over time, though, you can start to command higher rates. On top of that, you can work as much or as little as you'd like. If a huge, unexpected bills pops up, you can work a little more to make up for it. On the flip side, though, you could experience dry spells where you earn very little money. It's tricky to strike a good balance, so it's important to be prepared for peaks and valleys.

Dealing with Taxes

Okay, there's really no way to put a positive spin on this particular point. As a work-from-home mom, you are going to be a freelancer. That means that taxes will not be withheld from your earnings, which means that you have to pay your own taxes. The situation can become very complex; furthermore, taxes can take a huge bite out of your earnings. Make sure to get a handle on your tax situation right from the start. Otherwise, you could end up with a very unpleasant surprise that could prompt you to give up working from home altogether.

Setting Your Own Schedule

A wonderful perk of working from home is being able to work whenever you want. There is generally no need to keep traditional hours, unless you're manning the phones as a customer service rep. If need be, you can work on the weekends or during the evening. A major drawback to this point is that it's easy to slip into some bad habits. Distractions of the online variety may keep you from your work. You may find yourself goofing around on Facebook and not getting a whole lot accomplished.

Working Alone

To some people, working all alone sounds absolutely wonderful. To others, it sounds isolating and boring. There's no way to know how you will respond to it until you give it a try. If you're an especially social person, the isolation of working from home could prove to be too much for you. If you're more likely to get annoyed by the distractions that coworkers cause, though, you're sure to love working alone. It is a lot easier to concentrate when you work from home, but it is going to take some getting used to – especially if you've exclusively worked in offices in the past.

Taking Lunch when You Want

In many offices and workplaces, lunch time is set in stone. You have to leave to have lunch during a specific period of time – typically somewhere around noon. As a work-from-home mom, of course, you can eat whenever you feel like it. If you just feel like working through your lunch, you can do that, too. It's definitely freeing, but make sure not to burn the candle at both ends. You might need to leave the house for lunch in order to feel refreshed and ready for the afternoon.

Taking Vacations

A great perk of working many traditional jobs is that you earn paid vacations over time. As a work-from-home mom, however, you don't get such perks. If you take time off, you're not going to get paid for it. There are ways to get around that, though. For example, you could work extra hours for a few weeks in a row to make up for the time off. On the other hand, you could just plan on earning a little less money in order to take a vacation. It may be a little stressful, but most work-from-home moms find that it's still better than toiling away at regular jobs.

You can compare the pros and cons of being a work-from-home mom all day, but you're never truly going to know how you'll like it until you give it a whirl. The reality of being a work-from-home mom is often starkly different than what you may imagine. You have nothing to lose by giving it a shot; more than likely, you will find that it works out beautifully for you. The ability to stay home with your kids while earning a great income is sure to win you over and produce many great benefits down the road.