Tips for Parents Working From Home
Many parents out there are work from home pros, while others are brand new to it. Currently, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced many of us to navigate working at home, with kids on the side, whether we were prepared for it or not. Regardless of your remote work level of expertise and preparedness, there is no doubt that working from home with children can present its own set of challenges.
Tips for Parents Working From Home
Lucky for you, I’ve got tips! This isn’t my first round of the privileged work from home life and I’ve learned to navigate it quite smoothly, so here are my top tips:
Set up an official work from home space.
If you have a home office, then great – you’re already ahead of the game on this one. However, not everyone has this luxury at home. For some, working from home means sitting with a laptop in bed or on the couch with a computer on the coffee table.
Taking these factors into consideration, what truly matters most is that you’re in a comfortable space. You’ll be able to get up for a stretch from time to time but you will definitely be more productive if you’re happy with the space you’re in. From facing the window to adding a small planter to your side, these little elements can go a long way.
If you have kids, having a designated space is also helpful as they will know that when you are on your computer/laptop in that space it means you are working. My daughter know that on weekdays when I am at my computer, it means that mommy has to do work. She loves to hang out around me, however she knows she has to do quieter activities, such as colouring or reading.
Speak to your children about working from home.
Prepare your kids for this adjustment. Let them know that you will be working from home and you need their help with getting your work done. Explain to them what this means to you and what this means for them, this is the most important part in my opinion.
I shared with my daughter that being at home meant that mommy would not have to leave to go to work, but she would have to work on her computer. This meant that I needed her help with being quiet when she was in mommy’s space, and being “super mouse quiet” when mommy had her headphones on; which meant that I was in a meeting.
No matter how small your children are, you can speak to them about anything. It is about using terms that they can understand and communicating with them in a way that they can see value in what you are saying to them. For example, mommy is at home and able to spend more time with you but she needs your help, to be quieter than usual when you’re around her work space.
Take breaks to interact with your children.
The smaller your children are the most they need from you. A teenager or -pre-teen can get caught up in a movie or an activity of their own. However, littles have shorten attention spans and may be used to the constant mental stimulation of kindergarten or daycare.
At my daughter’s age, she is able to focus on an activity for about half hour, which is coincidentally about the time that in kindergarten they switch from one activity to another. When I am working from home without any assistance to care for her I try to have activities ready for her for the day, from painting to building and even slime playtime (because kids love that sh*t!). When I notice she is getting antsy I interact with her, and find this greatly helps in keeping her from getting to the grumpy level of bored. I take tiny breaks to ask about what she is painting or building, and even help her if she needs it.
I am lucky that I have also had my husband at home during this COVID-19 quarantine phase, as he is able to care for my daughter while I work. However this is not the case for everyone. Some are single parents or have partner who is front-line worker and has to continue going to work.
Have snacks ready and “pack your lunch”.
Being prepared is half the battle when working from home with kids, even when you don’t have kids to be honest. I prepare her lunch just like I would when she is going to school; and even do this for myself.
I leave our lunches in the fridge, it could be a sandwich I made the night before or I simply warm up a tupperware of last night’s dinner. We often cook dinner with a lunch portion included for my husband and I to take to work the next day. I have also recently pre-packed cut veggies for Zo to quickly grab from the fridge when she feels like a snack – that way mommy doesn’t have to get up every time. Also, I plan to have a small basket in a kid-safe drawer or cupboard where she can reach in and grab her snacks as well. She knows she has to give me a heads up that is grabbing something then off she goes.
Another tip is to fill a water bottle for your children in the AM so they have something to drink throughout the day. You may have to refill it by lunch, but at least you’re not having to get up for a glass of water every time they need it. All of the tips above can be applied for you too. Pre-pack snacks, have a bottle of water by your side and prepare your lunch so you can easily reach for it. Trust, applying all of this will go a long way in productivity and keeping your focused.
Let them hang out near you while you work.
As I mentioned above, having your kid hang out near you while you work help them and you a ton. They don’t want to bother you, make this difficult for you, or interrupt you, but rather they just want to be close to their parent. I embrace this, as I feel that fighting it might make it even tougher for all of us.
I bought her a lap tray from Michaels which allows her to have her pencil crayons and markers close, and a space for her to draw and colour that wasn’t directly on the floor. I think this helped the idea that we were working beside each other, rather than mommy working and her just existing. She felt like she had her “own little office space” and I began called her “colleague” a few times which was really funny as she wasn’t sure what it meant at first.
I encourage making your kids part of the experience if they need it, smaller children can be stickier of course – even if there is another adult in the house sometimes they just want to be with mommy (or daddy). Fighting it could cause a tamtrum which will REALLY disrupt your work time and even attitude for a while (I definitely don’t feel like getting any work done when I’m upset).
I hope these tips help you and your kids make the best out of the working from home experience. Let me know if there are any other tips you would like to add in the comment below!
