DEAR ABBY: I quit my job last year to stay at home with my children. All of a sudden, friends and neighbors began calling me to run errands, watch their children, sew costumes for the school plays, etc. Nobody seemed to understand that being a mother IS a full-time job.
Finally, I found a way to stop all the requests for favors: I made up fliers advertising myself as a "domestic consultant." I offered to baby-sit, pick up dry cleaning and groceries, sew and do other odd jobs for a negotiable fee.
The calls are much less frequent now. When someone does call, he or she is prepared to pay me fairly for child care and errand running. When I get requests for things that would interfere with plans I've made with my children (or don't want to do!), I simply tell the caller, "I am overbooked." -- ALREADY WORKING (THANK YOU VERY MUCH)
DEAR ALREADY WORKING (TYVM): You're a clever woman and you may have devised a method from which other stay-at-home parents can benefit.