Last week I caught an episode of the reality TV show, The American Inventor. I was not surprised to find a few parents sharing their inventions. One dad with a hearing impaired child invented a special accessory for her hearing aid that held it in place while she was playing. A mom presented an idea for a disposable wrap grocery cart handles to help keep kids riding in the carts germ free. It is just like the old saying goes, “necessity is the mother of invention.” Parents come up with solutions to problems they have, and sometimes their solutions are something others can use.
A few parents have made it big with their ideas. Julie Aigner-Clark is now a millionaire after selling her Baby Einstein Company to The Walt Disney Company. Last year BusinessWeek posted a great video story on other parents, find it here.
If you have the next big invention for kids, check out http://www.mominventors.com/ for ideas and resources. This could be your path to family friendly work. Proceed with caution however, as starting something on your own can lead to work that is more time consuming than working for someone else. Set your time boundaries and stick to them.
