Working from home with the kids
Who has spent time they don’t have looking on Pinterest for new and inventive ways to keep the children occupied or at least quiet when working from home? Have any of you abandoned all hope of getting anything done by the set deadline? Who is watching the Government’s daily briefing in the hope that they say not only have we kicked Covid’s backside but that the schools can reopen? We can help. No, we are not offering childcare from a distance or sending gin by courier. We are, however, able to offer some top tips for working from home with the kids.
Be Realistic – No-one Needs To Be a Hero
Several of us here at All You Need Essex are working full-time from home, juggling being Mum or Dad and having to be a teacher. With the best will in the world, you can’t be all things to all people all the time. You can try, but despite what people tell you on Instagram, multi-tasking at that level is impossible. You will drop the ball, a plate or a child.
Be realistic about what you have to do during the day and how many hours you have to spend. If you can’t home school from 9 am-3 pm, work 9 am-5 pm and do everything that being at home with children and working requires, you won’t be the only one. Cut yourself some slack.
Switch Up The Schedule
Who says home learning has to stretch all day? Who says you have to start your work at 9 am? Working from home gives you a certain amount of flexibility. Many parents are finding that they can help their child fit all of their learning time into the morning, leaving the afternoon for art projects, free time, music or something else less structured. This gives them additional quiet time in the afternoon to work.
Some children wake up bouncing and need to run, jump and roll their energy off before even considering sitting at a desk and doing math work. Switch up the schedule to make working from home with children work for everyone. This is your new normal. The old rules no longer apply.
Pick Your Battles
Your boss wants the work done by 3 pm, your 5-year-old wants to show you every picture she has drawn or every brick of every Minecraft building she or he has created. None of your children wants to be healthy today and get fresh air in the garden or follow by your carefully colour-coded learning and activity schedule. You know your children.
You are in control so you can:
- Waste time, breath and stress screaming at your uncooperative children (who are also dealing with the current situation in their way)
- Email your boss and say that the work isn’t getting done.
- Find a way to compromise. Pick your battles. Will the world end if no colourful masterpiece is produced today? Is it ok to just do some math, writing and science then give learning a break? Are you allowed to put learning apps on tablets and let them have more than their normal quota of screen time? Yes, yes, yes.
Pick your battles, do the best that you can, ensure the children don’t push their boundaries too far of course but be flexible enough for everyone to be a winner.
Explain Client or Work Time
One of our team members, Nicki, offers this top tip.
“I’ve worked from home since my eldest was born, nearly fourteen years ago. Early on it became apparent that the boys needed to understand not just that I was working, but what that meant. For us, client time means Mum makes money to pay the bills, fund the treats, add to pocket money and keep the WIFI on (a very important bill). If I can’t work, I don’t get my invoices paid. They have a respect for the time they have to leave me be at the desk or not scream about something on Minecraft because I’m on a client call. To balance things out they always know that we will be having special times together when the work is done, or when I take breaks. It works for us.”
All children are different, of course, but see if this works for you.
Working From Home With The Kids
If you are eyeing up the duct tape and wondering how long you can keep the children in the shed, you are probably not alone. Working from home with the kids is hard for those used to working from home, so is more of a learning curve for everyone else. Give yourself a break, allow for flexibility, pick your battles, look after yourself and whatever you do, don’t feed the little darlings after midnight.
Author: Nicki Cawood
(No rights to image – rights to Allen Taylor via Unsplash)
