If you’re a seasoned veteran and knowledgeable on working from home, you may still find yourself being challenged by the current situation in the world. After all, it’s one thing to homeschool, or work from home, or choose to stay inside, and quite another to be severly limited in what you are allowed to do.
With a kindergartener in the house, school has become a challenge for him, without physical play and interaction with his friends and teachers, and also a challenge for me, as I help him connect and interact virtually with school while also working my own job.
It’s an interesting mix having everyone in the house being home at once. Two parents, two kids, one cat.
If you’re not used to working from home, it can be beyond overwhelming trying to get all the pieces to fall into line. If I can offer some advice, which you can, of course feel free to ignore, it’s this: Don’t. The pieces will not align exactly because we’re all making so many of them up at once. It’s like cutting jigsaw puzzles pieces out of a picture you’ve never seen and then ripping some of them in half and tossing them away.
So, what can you do?
The best you can. And I apologize if that sounds trite, but it’s so true, especially right now. I know that you’re trying to make sure your kid does all of their homework, but you know what? They’re responsible for their own learning, too, even in kindergarten. If you remind them they have homework and give them the tools, they should do it.
If everything seems to much, give yourself some grace. Consider talking to someone who will just listen, and let you work things out for yourself, only offering advice as a last step. Consider cutting back on some of the things you’re doing. I know, laundry piles up. But if the kids are in pajamas all day, maybe their loads can wait. If you’re not wearing socks around the house because you’re wearing slippers, or if you’re showering less than usual, maybe some of your own laundry can hang on an extra day.
And don’t judge yourself against anybody else. I know, I know, there are instagram moms and facebook parents looking like they have everything under control, and you know what? It’s ok to hope they really do, and then let it go. Most of us don’t post pictures of days we’d rather forget about. We post about the chalk drawings on the driveway and the bubble gun race in the yard. We don’t post the times someone dyed their hair blue and ruined the good towels.
Working from home can be made easier, but may not be easy, and that may have to be ok for now. Get the kids corralled in another room, or try not to schedule a meeting when your partner also has one, and then one of you can supervise.
And don’t worry overmuch if your kid has pretzels for dinner one night.