Guest Post: Caring for Your Children While Working From Home
Written for Promise the Children by Lacie Martin of raisethemwell.org
Few things are more difficult or stressful than working from home when you have children. And when your children are staying home more than usual because their preschool is closed or opened at a limited capacity, it can become overwhelming if you don’t come up with a good plan and strategy. Read on for information and resources to help you make sure that your kids are well-cared-for and that your work is completed efficiently.
Keeping Your Children Occupied
Kids need things to do; otherwise, no one in your household will be happy! Here a few ideas for keeping your children entertained and engaged:
- Research fun educational activities that your kids can do at home.
- Arrange family activities to do on a weekly basis, such as a dinner and movie night or a backyard scavenger hunt.
- Invest in family-friendly computers for your children so that they can stay entertained with movies, shows, games, and so on.
Finding Ways to De-Stress
If you’re carrying around a bunch of stress, it won’t help you or your children. Look for ways that you can reduce stress in your everyday life.
- Make sure you are exercising on a regular basis.
- Consider volunteering activities for the many benefits to your family.
- Focus on eating a healthy diet. It’s tempting to eat poorly when you’re stressed, but it will only make it worse!
- Create a nightly routine that helps you fall asleep and stay asleep.
- Develop a solid morning routine to start your day with some structure and relaxation.
- Connect with Promise the Children for information, advocacy and volunteer opportunities.
Hiring People to Help
Don’t try to do everything yourself; if you can budget for it, hire people to help around the house.
- Make sure you have a reliable handyman that you can call for any home repair issues that come up.
- Bring on a cleaning service to help maintain order and cleanliness in your home.
- And hire a lawn care service to keep your property looking in tip-top shape.
Don’t let the stress of being a work-from-home parent overtake your life. Find ways to lighten your workload and connect with the fam for a happier and healthier balance.
