Work from home has become normal for many of us, but our office guys might not take it as normal that we have families and kids to take care, while we are attending a zoom meeting or submitting a quotation to a client.
So, I figured out how we busy parents with children can form a work life balance from home and these are my findings -
Elementary and Middle schoolers
"If it isn't too cold/windy, and your kids are old enough and you live in a safe area (lot of caveats there!) , hand the children a snack and kick them outside for an hour."
My advice on this age group: Work with them to make a menu of things they could do and keep it on the fridge or somewhere they can find it when they're so bored.
Set some activities set up or set an activity centre around the corner of a room. It may include setting a doll house, adventure tent, jungle safari or a ball-pit in a pack n play playard.
Some other things may include -
Watch "PrestonPlayz" on YouTube.
Make bogus YouTube videos with that old cellphone.
If the kids are too disruptive out in the family spaces, I send them in there in their activity play area
Produce a schedule they could follow.
Set daily goals for school work and reward them.
Relax your screen time rules. (Just kidding, by this era that's already happened. But they are gonna need limitations )
Check in to see what they are up to.
Use breaks to go on bike rides, walks or do something together outside.
Talk about what is happening.
Use this as a time to help them become informed news consumers.
Love that tween / Toddlers
Experiment with functioning in the early mornings and evenings.
This list is certainly not exhaustive, so send your tips and I'll attempt to include them. And one thing that is right for all ages but those sweet babies:
Give your kids age-appropriate jobs. They can earn a salary while they're home (I give out stars, which, when gathered, can be traded in for things like late bedtimes, display time, Robux or gummy Coke bottles.)
Tweens also know what's happening in the world and are processing it through the media they consume, from worrying about World War III into the coronavirus.
Talk with them about what they're reading and watching and how they're feeling.
Help them sort through all that to find reliable information. (Now's a great time to tell them to follow Poynter's MediaWise on Instagram. It's led to plenty of great conversations on the way to and from school.)
Set and enforce expectations.
Work together to make a fun to-do list for them.
Create ways to communicate what sort of work zone you are in.
Relax your screen time rules. Really, they will be OK.
If safe, send them outside.
Designate a kid-free space.
Create fun zones throughout your property.
"If you do not have a partner (or they do not have flex time) and you can't do day interviews, tell people what your situation is and what ambient sound they can anticipate.
People today get it!" I have gathered tips from moms and dads who shared their thoughts about working from home with children.
The premise here is you won't be out coverage, photographing, recording or in a studio or newsroom.
And since my pre-teen kids will handle this very differently than infants or teens,
"I find babywearing to be essential," most parents said. You'd be amazed how many people are amenable to day phone calls -- especially if the subject is not related to their job."
Unlike lots of the people I spoke with for this story, my colleague, who, does not work from home frequently, so for his 3-and-a-half-year-old daughter, when dad's house, it's the weekend and lots of quality time.
"I find that if you have even a basic plan of what the day will look like, it sets up the expectations for the day for everybody and the day goes much more smoothly. Saying that, I could see those plans going to hell if we are stuck for a few weeks!!"
"We started keeping a LEGO table in another part of the house, where older children can periodically escape to amuse themselves." "My spouse is self-employed, so if his schedule permits it, he'll sometimes have a child with him to run errands. (That usually does not get all of them out of my hair, but it helps.)"
"We are always lax with display time on those days -- an episode of'Sesame Street' can make it possible for us to undergo a conference call or electricity through some mails." Working from home when the kids are around is tough, but you have to find a way around to keep your child busy,while your attend that zoom meeting.
