Toddlers and Homeworking
Around the entire planet, more and more people are by choice or necessity working from home.
Sometimes called ‘teleworking’, this phenomenon is leading to challenges for things such as childcare. Coping with toddlers and homeworking is becoming an everyday point for discussion.
Working from home and children
The teleworking phenomenon which has boomed over the past 10-15 years is often discussed as arising due to the growth of technological capabilities on the one hand and the various financial crises that hit the globe in 2008 on the other. The recent COVID challenges have only added to the growth in teleworking.
The issues arising out of this for younger children and parents aren’t new. In the past, many of our grandparents, notably women, worked from home to maintain the family and secure additional income. They coped with their work and young children but of course, they may have had extended family networks to help – structures that are far less visible today.
However, as teleworking has grown to become both more commonplace but also more professionally demanding in terms of its expectations of hours and the nature of the work undertaken, it is causing some families difficulties in terms of younger children.
What is the issue?
Toddlers and the under-5s assume that when their parents are at home, then those parents belong to them!
So, it is perfectly natural for parents who are trying to spend a full day working at home, to discover that their children don’t quite grasp the concept of segmenting their demands between private and family time. This can lead to toddlers and younger children frequently interrupting your work and demanding ever-increasing amounts of your attention.
That, in turn, may seriously disrupt your ability to work efficiently and in a fully-focused manner. Declines in your productivity and its quality might well result.
Options
There are some obvious solutions, although some of these may have consequences to be aware of and avoid if possible.
Locking yourself away
This is a conventional approach and one that’s often practical – assuming you have the room to make it feasible.
However, some experts argue that parents locking themselves away and refusing to engage with their children, even if only for a few hours each day, may be confusing to young kids and possibly damaging.
Explaining
If your child is 5 or over, you may be able to explain the position and why you’re at home but can’t spend time with them.
Some children may understand this well and be surprisingly cooperative and sympathetic but others may struggle to grasp what you’re trying to say. Most children under 5 may simply see this as you refusing to ‘play with them’ for reasons they don’t understand.
Distraction
Most kids will instantly forget their parents, for a time, if their friends have come to play or they’re off visiting them at their homes.
Sometimes parents can form groups where the children are moved around on a rota to play at each other’s homes under supervision. That may give you a few hours of peace to work.
Daycare centres and parental helpers may have a role to play here too.
Also, remember you can distract your children at home with things like videos and computer games but keep in mind current guidelines for how much of their recreational time children should be spending looking at a screen.
In all the above options, if you’re the sole adult at home with your kids then you’ll somehow need to keep them under supervision as you work.
Re-scheduling
Useful as all the above may be, they’re probably unlikely to regularly buy you the peace of a typical 9-hour day in the office.
That’s why employers are increasingly favourably considering non-standard days and moving away from the concept that teleworkers’ hours need to be delivered in a 9-6 office-hours day. That may give you the extra flexibility you need though it may not suit all specific roles. It’s worth discussing with your employer or your clients if you’re self-employed.
Summary
Most parents engaging in homeworking will find workarounds and ways of coping. It’s not easy and unfortunately, there aren’t any universal solutions.
Some patience and very probably help will be required.
