Time was, a mom knew who her neighbors were. She brought them pies when they moved into the neighborhood; she invited them for morning coffee and a round-the-kitchen-table chat; her kids played outside with theirs until the sun went down and it was too dark to see anymore.

If you’re a working parent, you might already have a lengthy list of reasons why you’d like to work from home. Perhaps you want more time with your kids before they start school full-time, or maybe you want to escape a demanding 9-5 job so you can have more energy left for your family at the end of the workday. If you don’t have a job outside the home, the thought of an extra income might be enough to start your imagination spinning.