Working From Home with Kids

I’ve worked from home a fair bit over my career, occasionally for a week or two at a time. I thought I would share some things that have worked for me. In general, this works well for kids 4 and older, and these strategies, while helpful, may not be as effective with younger kids.
I’ve identified three main themes:

• Set expectations
• Be flexible and take advantage of the situation
• Keep them busy

Set expectations

Typically working parents have two modes: 1) working out of the sight of the child ,and 2) present to the child and available to meet all of their needs. These boundaries are gone. Working from home can be confusing as the parent is visible, but unable to give full and consistent attention. Set boundaries and rules so that the child can better understand. E.g’s:

• When I’m in my office, I’m working. When I’m outside my office I will be with you.
• I have a meeting for 1 hour, please don’t be loud or interrupt.
• I will work for 2 hours then make you lunch.

Over the past year, I’ve had incredibly adorable moments from my then 4 year old.

• Hearing other voices he quietly tiptoed into my office and quietly whispered “are you in a meeting?”
• Checking to make sure I would be available: “I have to go poop, will you be able to wipe my butt in a few minutes?”

Likewise, set expectations with your colleagues. More often than not, I find that nobody expects me to work, and that its my own desire to please that influences me to respond to requests after my normal work hours. You can’t be expected to work 12 hours because your home is your office; like Nancy Reagan taught us, “Just say ‘No.’”

With two working parents, consider how you can work around each others responsibilities to set expectations and take turns meeting children’s needs.

Also, despite everyone's best efforts, kids will screw up, you will be frustrated and you may lose your temper, raise your voice and be unfair. Remember to be open and honest about these situations. An adult apologizing when we are wrong is an amazing experience for a child. It builds trust, and sets an example for how they should address their own mistakes.

Take Advantage of the Situation and Be Flexible

My children are my most important responsibility and my relationship with them the most fulfilling party of my life. Working from home provides some amazing opportunities. You can take a 15-30 minute break in the middle of the morning to play Candyland or take a mid-afternoon walk around the block as a family and bask in the sun (sorry Seattle). Also, I find changing my scenery and posture great when I need to be more creative. Watching a squirrel run up a tree is a great input randomizer for diffuse thinking.

In addition, if you find it difficult to get a whole day’s worth of effort in normal working hours, consider other hours. You may find yourself more productive after the kids are in bed and have a 2-4 hours block that you don’t mind working instead of during their working hours.

With two working parents, it may be effective for one parent to work in the morning, another in the afternoon, and both at night, IF it works well for all. As always, speak with your manager, monitor your situation, and adjust if it is unhealthy for you.

Keep them Busy

I'll add details for this item in a future post. But check out some educational resources linked below.

Resources:

• https://www.coolmathgames.com/ (E.g. https://www.coolmathgames.com/0-geography-state-the-state)
• https://www.abcya.com/
• https://www.typing.com/