There are constant struggles of parenthood, and as we continue to share them with one another, we will all become better equipped to make it through each struggle as better parents.
My goal for this series, is to share some of my personal struggles and how I try to handle them, as a way to give strength and support to other women and parents who are tackling the same issues. I also hope you will share how you manage the same problems, and we can all learn from one another! Here’s to stronger parents, raising kind human beings!
Working from home is hard.
Don’t get me wrong. It has so many pros, which is exactly why I do it. I love the flexibility that I have to be there for my kids when they need me — doctor’s appointments, unexpected sick days, special surprise outings with mommy — I love it all.
But since the kids have gotten older, there’s an added element of difficulty. My kids simply can’t give me any space to work in peace and quiet when they’re home. You can see, from this post, that I worked hard to design this inspiring and creativity-inducing workspace. But it’s only separation from the rest of my house is a room divider, and although it’s, arguably, my favorite part of my “corner of happiness”, it doesn’t block out noise. And most importantly, it doesn’t keep my kiddos from coming in when they’re not supposed to.
Our current situation:
I work as hard as I can in the morning while my kids are at school. But, even with an afternoon babysitter, my kids cannot handle knowing that I’m in the house, but unavailable to them.
They constantly run in and out of my office, showing my this, or telling me that. And I totally get it. I want to be around me all the time too — I’m pretty awesome! But it’s so not conducive to getting any sort of thought-required work done. And forget about any sort of business calls in the afternoon. It’s just not working.
I’ve heard of some strategies that have worked for others in similar situations.
- Set a timer to show the kids that when the timer goes off, mommy will be available. This might only work if you can work in increments.
- I try to give them a few minutes of my full attention when they first get home from school. We debrief their days, have some cuddles and then I find they are more inclined to let me work a bit longer than usual.
- Work at a co-sharing work space. Some of them even have childcare!
The solution that I am leaning closest to, is building an actual wall with a door that closes (and locks). I simply think that there needs to be a physical door that they cannot get through. This has definitely been the hardest thing from the start.
I’d love to know how other work from home moms deal with this! PLEASE let me know so we can all be better together. Thanks ladies! xo
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