Home working guide

As people in all walks of life struggle to adapt to the ‘new normal’ (which translates to – ‘everything’s terrible, we’re pretending it’s not’), working parents everywhere are dealing with some added complexities.

A (not so serious) guide to home working with children

As people in all walks of life struggle to adapt to the ‘new normal’ (which translates to – ‘everything’s terrible, we’re pretending it’s not’), working parents everywhere are dealing with some added complexities.

Not only are you required to be a constructive, productive and (importantly) sane member of the workforce; you are also having to do this while keeping children entertained and educated.

With quite a few working parents at Pixel Pixel, we thought it would be a good idea to put together some tips to get you through these tough times:

Learn a 2nd language

Get used to the phrase; “I’ll look in a minute. I’m just working.” You’ll say it a lot! So, why not take the opportunity to learn it in as many languages as possible. Not only will you (and your child) learn many new languages, the variety will keep you going from going mad after the end of the first week.

Insist on a dress-code

Dress your child/children up in suits, or other smart business attire. That way, when they do inevitably burst in on your video conference, you can claim they are the new intern getting to grips with the company culture.

Teach them about history

Kids love role-playing. So, in the spirit of fun and learning, teach them about life in the Victorian age and get them engaged in manual labour. Need that shed painted? Have a wall in the garden that needs finishing? Or, just get them to dig a tunnel dug to the nearest Tesco, for an easy and socially distant trip to the shops.

Create a daily treasure hunt 

What child can resist the draw of solving cryptic clues to find mysterious treasures? Plus, you can keep the intrigue level high by having one clue with no item to find. Guaranteed to keep your little treasures seeking non-existent treasure for a few extra moments of quiet.

Solve arguments before they happen

If you have one television, but multiple bored children, why not hold a battle for domination over the TV remote? Through a series of escalating challenges, one winner will emerge victorious. While a full ‘Hunger Games’ approach is probably not needed, health and safety busting obstacle courses are encouraged.

Find internet fame

Combine your need to make a living, with your teenager’s love of blaring loud music all hours of the day and live-stream their impromptu DJ sets. You never know, they may become the next YouTube or TikTok star!

Take regular naps

When working at home with children, it’s widely accepted the most productive hours are between two and five in the morning. So, make sure you take those regular daytime naps to prepare for your nightly power hours.

Take advantage of the low interest rates

If all else fails; buy, or rent, a second house. You can always work from there until the whole thing blows over.

In all seriousness, working from home with children isn’t always the easiest. But, as those who regularly work from home will tell you, the extra time you get to share in your children’s lives more than makes up for the odd occasion where they interrupt conference call with your client to announce to everyone that they’ve done a huge poop*.

*This actually happened

By: Jonathan Evans