Balancing life and work as a freelancer is really a skill in itself. After leaving the agency life as a hired hand in hopes to steer my own boat, I really couldn't comprehend what it meant to be freelancer and the lesson I learned is that you must learn your lessons quick or die. However, I will admit my life as a freelancer has definitely been easier on the nerves, the time invested in my career has not let up one bit. To be a freelancer you have to be a "Jack of all trades" and your really need to be a ninja at time management or you'll find yourself detouring all the time. Also, if you don't know how to communicate effectively then that will probably be the biggest snag you will have to overcome immediately. Being efficient is imperative for fathers, and mothers in this business and you have to know what your doing unless you have 80 plus hours a week and about a 100 miles of duck tape.
Anyway, as my experience as a freelance developer has begun to mature I am finding that I more and more of my time has become free again. But as I am finally beginning to steer out of this work storm, I have been noticing about 10 more years of age pact into the last 4 years and I have decided that it's time to master true work-life balance. I am beginning a category called "balance" where I'll keep all my stories to share.