The pandemic has changed the lives of people around the world.  It’s hard to even remember leaving the house without a mask, or thinking twice about going to a small gathering.   

For parents, the pandemic has had a profound impact on day-to-day life.  Many companies throughout the world have mandated staffs work from home (WFH) if it isn’t imperative they go to an office, or a work location.  This work from home order was hard to adapt to for most people, but for parents, working from home was a brand new challenge in a completely uncharted territory. 

The reason these work from home orders have had such an impact on parents is because many schools, during this same time period, transitioned to virtual learning.  This means not only are you working from home but…DUN DUN DUNNNN…so are your kids.  

Now, we are almost a year into these work from home orders and there are still many families struggling to find their footing. 

Luckily, there are some tips to help ease this situation.           

1.     First and foremost…make a schedule!  Consider how much work you have to get done each day and what your duties are when it comes to your children.  Do you have to make them lunch? Do you need to make sure your child is ready for each subject throughout the day?  Are there conference calls you have to make?  Create a schedule. Digital calendars are wonderful because may of them allow you to color-code your activities and they also sync with your phone.

2.     Interruptions are okay…this is definitely the new normal.  There’s a level of flexibility that exists today that didn’t always exist when we had to be at the office from 9am-5pm, five days a week.  It’s okay to have to leave a meeting early so you can make sure you and your littles eat. It’s okay if your young one interrupts a presentation you’re giving.  And it’s okay to flex your hours.  If you need to jump off early to tend to the kids, and make up time in the evening, most bosses are open to this.  It’s a conversation away.

3.     Don’t out-rule childcare right now, that’s for sure.  Just because you’re working from home doesn’t mean you don’t need help…any THAT’S OKAY.  In most areas, there are still daycare options available to give you some peace and quiet while you get your work done.  In areas where daycare isn’t an option, many people have found alternatives where childcare help comes to the home.  This means you can work in peace, knowing that your children are being taken care of and have everything they need.

4.     Planning your breaks together is also something that can make your life WAY easier as a parent.  You child’s schedule is probably less volatile than yours.  Try to work around the chunk of time that they have breaks, so that you can have a break with them.  This allows you to see your kids and get the lowdown on how their day is going.