Oh, how wonderful you’d imagined it would be. Just a moment ago, when you got out of bed: You’re home now, in your own four walls; you no longer have to rush to the office—how great is that? Now you leisurely boot up your computer. You sit down at your desk. The steaming coffee pot is right beside you. Now, now you’re ready to get started—first emails, first phone calls, no interruptions, no coworkers suddenly popping up in front of you in the office. Oh, how wonderful it had...
“Dad, cooooome here, my pants are slipping down!”
Gone, over. Welcome to reality—and for hundreds of thousands of parents who are supposed to be working from home these days, equipped with a laptop and a cell phone, that has absolutely nothing to do with a quiet retreat. Working from home—an idyll where you can work in peace? Oh, come on. Much more like a noisy arena where different worlds and desires collide: those of children who aren’t in school or daycare right now and want to play, run around, sing, and dance. With Mom. With Dad. And those of the parents—who are Mom and Dad at heart (and, by the way, also love to play, run around, sing, and dance). But who are also employees with an employment contract. Colleagues with whom they have to coordinate. And work that needs to be done.
So how on earth is this supposed to work out these days, these weeks: balancing work obligations with childcare while working from home? Doing justice to both. Somehow. Over and over again. How is that supposed to work?
Here are a few tips that might help
- Talk about the new situation with the kids: Mom and Dad are home—that’s great. Kids know that when they’re at home, they’re off from school. Their conclusion: They can play together all day long. It’s a family vacation. That doesn’t work when you’re working from home. That’s why it’s important to make the kids aware that, even though Mom and Dad are home now, they’re not on vacation—they have to work at certain times—but that there’s still plenty of time left to play together. Older children understand the demands of the working world.
- Create a daily structure. For yourself. And for the family. Perhaps that’s the most important thing. And the hardest. If possible, it’s a good idea to set your work hours for the same time each day. That creates structure. It’s a good idea to start as early as possible, while the children are still asleep. It’s also a good idea to establish a fixed daily routine with set times that are then entirely dedicated to the children. The best way to do this is with a family schedule. This makes it clear when the family does things together—and when everyone plays or works on their own.
- Prepare meals in advance, divide up household chores: Without the usual school cafeteria, you’ll need to set aside quite a bit of time for cooking. If both parents are working from home, they should split the cooking duties between them. Some meals can be easily prepared in advance. Fruit and vegetables should always be on hand, already cut into small pieces. Short breaks from work can be used to do the dishes, run the laundry, or take out the trash. This provides a mental break, the physical activity keeps the body active, and household chores don’t fall completely by the wayside.
- Share childcare, share the load: Childcare is the responsibility of both mother and father. If both parents are working from home, they should also share childcare duties and time with the children. This works best when you avoid scheduling work hours at the same time—instead, spread them out throughout the day. For example: in the morning, one parent works undisturbed for a solid block of time while the other is on standby, and in the afternoon, they switch roles. Also, both parents should schedule time to spend together with their children.
- Provide variety, use digital resources (in moderation): Yes, a day at home like this is long. Very long. That’s why it’s important to provide variety—and to create different activities for the children, such as playing, doing crafts, listening to audiobooks, or jumping around in the living room. Also: It can’t hurt to think about how digital (learning) resources and children’s TV shows can be used in an age-appropriate, meaningful, and moderate way.
- Don’t be too strict—with yourself or with others: Despite all the tips and rules, working from home and childcare are two things that aren’t always easy to balance. So don’t be too hard on the kids. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Everyone—parents and children alike—has to get used to this new situation. And everyone needs to be understanding of one another.
So if your child calls out that their pants are slipping down, that’s a serious matter. Then you have to get up and check. You might need to find a pair of leggings to put on instead of pants. After that, you’ll still have time to work.
