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11 Pieces of Advice for Working Parents During the COVID-19 Crisis (by fellow parents at The Walker Group)
1
Structure and a schedule are extremely important. For little kids, set periods of work time and also times for help/attention so disruptions are not constant. For teens, make set blocks of time for schoolwork, physical activity and end-of-day screen time.
2
Headphones for everyone are a must (especially the kids...not that we don’t want to hear every online lesson, but...)!
3
If you have to be in the same room as your child, make sure they are facing away from you. This helps their concentration and reduces the temptation for constant distraction.
4
Have patience and be flexible. If you can’t fit in all the schoolwork during the designated work hours, don’t panic – just communicate with the teacher and do the best you can as a family. One idea - most kids are expected to read 20-40 minutes during their "school day". Consider saving that for bedtime to make sure it gets done and it also helps them wind down.
5
If you use Zoom or MS Teams, use the virtual background or blur background feature so others can’t see the chaos (even though they have it too!).
6
Communicate with your family. Make a list of all the times that you will be in meetings/unavailable and make sure everyone understands expectations during those times.
7
Schedule kids' outdoor time around your "important meetings" schedule.
8
Accept the fact that your workday definition has changed. You may feel like you’re starting earlier and ending later but you can and should be taking "breaks" to be with your family and help your kids, which is important, so it all works out in the end.
9
For the littles, if they don’t have homework yet, create homework or art projects to make them feel involved. A daily science experiment is also fun for kids and parents!
10
Whenever possible, request that other family members stay off of streaming services (i.e. Netflix, FaceTime) when you have work video meetings. Also, a daily reboot of your internet modem can be helpful in maintaining bandwidth.
11
Remember – you are NOT a teacher. Do your best but don’t expect it to be perfect or easy. Life is stressful enough right now without that added pressure. We are all in this together!
written by:
Jessica Rich
Jessica Rich, Managing Partner at The Walker Group, has an extensive technical and business background in the areas of IT, Sales, Marketing, Human Resources, Operations, and Finance. She is a passionate problem solver dedicated to the constant improvement of people, process, and company culture.
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