Working from Home with Kids: Making the Impossible, Possible.

As much as I wish I can hide from my kids as I work from home, I just cannot. The house is not big enough where I can shack away in a quiet room and zone out the entire house.

Although, we are six months into this pandemic, WFH (Working from Home) is still a challenge for some families. I have tried everything I can think of to try and keep my sanity during these challenging times. As some of you know, August was a challenging month for us. You can read more about it here.

In efforts to be proactive and get through this season of our lives, here’s a few tips I would like to share, that have helped our family see better days.

Set Up a Workstation

I had my work computer set up on our kitchen table and learned very quickly that this was not going to work longterm. I was constantly getting interrupted, there was always someone in the background using the blender, toaster oven, cooking, or watching the small television we have in the kitchen.

I moved over to the living room, where it is pretty quiet for the most part, and set myself up in there. It was the best decision I ever made.

Let Them Be

As hard as this is for me, I had to learn to just let the kids be while I work. I drove myself crazy with routines and to-do lists for them to only get disappointed when I found myself struggling to keep up. I have just accepted that while WFH I have other priorities and it is ok to let the girls learn to entertain themselves until I can provide them some attention. I give them a snack basket and have them go into the living room where they can watch movies, play video games, and kind of do their own thing until I can attend to them.

Do Hardest Items First

Since I let the girls do their own thing once they get up in the morning, I am sure to complete the hardest tasks for work during that time, that way I have the afternoons with a little more wiggle room to be attentive to them. I try to get Aylah down for a nap around 1pm, after lunch, and then I only have Amelia to worry about.

Teamwork

Ariel and I are both working from home, so we take turns as needed. Morning times are usually crunch time for both of our employers so this is the time I usually let the girls be. Ariel’s done with work by 2pm so after putting Aylah down for a nap at 1pm, he is usually on duty until I get off at 4pm.

My parents also help as needed. My mom is off on Mondays and Fridays where she will step in to help with making the girls breakfast and lunch and keep them entertained for a couple hours so I can concentrate on my work.

Now that the girls are off to school, it is much easier to WFH. However I wanted to share what worked for us because I know there are still some parents struggling to work from home and care for dependent children. This strategy is what worked for our family and I share it in efforts to help a family in need. After our workday, Ariel and I make a point to do something with the girls. Some afternoons we take walks, or we may go out for milkshakes. It is important for me to get the girls out the house for fresh air.

All in all, we need to cut ourselves some slack and understand that this pandemic is affecting us all. These are special times and there is no right or wrong answer to this madness. So pat yourself on the back my friend, you have made it this far.

We are in this together.