5 Tips to Help Work-from-home Parents Stay Sane While On Lockdown
Parents are losing it!
The chaos that comes with homeschooling and working from home is causing major problems in most households. Businesses that offer “parenting in isolation” webinars and marriage counseling are on the rise. It’s apparent that families are feeling tired and stressed from the coronavirus lockdown and if this lasts for a longer period of time, it may cause irreparable damage among families.
So what can parents do?
Here are a couple of tips that might help you stay sane if you’re a full-time parent or you work from home during this time:
1. Change Your Perspective
Changing the way you look at things is easier said than done. But it’s really one of the basic ways to cope up if you’re a parent suddenly struggling to juggle things with young children while in lockdown. You may want to have a positive mindset – you will come out of this all right and life will soon return to normal. It’s best for you to stay away from social media too as you might compare your life with celebrity parents or other people who look like they’re doing well on the outside. Try your best to look at the bright side of things as this will benefit you and your family more than the panic and worries.
2. Give Yourself a Moment to Step Away & Breathe
Being able to spend more time with your kids is one of the best things the lockdown has given us – but it is also the worst. When we have to work from home and we are all stuck together in a small space, the possibility of tensions to escalate is higher. When it does happen, give yourself a moment to step away and breathe. You can go around the block for a walk, lock your toilet door & drink a glass of wine, or let the kids watch funny videos to keep them entertained while you be can be on your own. Don’t force or wait until your patience runs out and you say or do something that can hurt and wound and end up swamped with mum-guilt. Parental burnout is our biggest enemy so let’s try our best to avoid it at all costs.
3. Take It Easy On the Rules
Your children’s mental well-being is more important than how they respond to what you teach them or how they perform. The kids are also adjusting themselves to the “new normal” just like you, so you may want to take it easy on the homeschooling rules, be flexible, and don’t be afraid to relax some rules. Remember the song from Frozen? Yes, that song! Whenever you find yourself feeling overwhelmed with everything that’s going on at home, just sing “Let it go! Let it go!” Don’t let your work take precedence and ignore your kids as it may result in adverse behavior. Relax the rules if you have to, your kids’ well-being matter more during these exceptional times.
4. Let the Kids Be Productive
Your kids will naturally seek activities where they feel like they have accomplished something and be successful. You can help them be productive and give yourself time to do your own work by allowing them to do a bit of housework. Accomplishments don’t always have to be curriculum-based, learning to make mum a cup of tea, drawing a picture for someone, or putting the pasta in a bowl can give a sense of accomplishment too. Try your best to make the kids feel that things will soon be okay.
5. Get the Help You Need
You’re most probably having a hard time right now deciding which one to drop: your work commitments, caring for your children, or homeschooling your older ones. Juggling it all is possible, yes, but you might not be able to do each one of them well and faster without losing your mind! Hosting an Au Pair to help you with those little tasks, however, may give you enough time to plan, think, and relax. So when at times you feel overwhelmed for juggling it all, your sanity is still intact and you more likely to get things done the right and quicker way.
If you don’t understand how hosting an Au Pair can help you, sign up for our webinar series on Host Families, a guide to hosting Au Pairs. Anyone signing up before the official launch can get our combined 8 years of hosting Au Pairs, trials, tribulations, and learnings for only $29 AUD. Send us an email at support@99aupairs.com to reserve your spot.
These tips may or may not work for you but since no one knows until when the lockdown will be lifted, we just need to do our best to make this situation a positive experience for everyone especially for our little ones.