Hello friends,

This post is dedicated to all the working parents like me who are working from home and at the same time need to take care of their little ones since most of the schools are shut too due to COVID-19 pandemic. I know this is a very challenging and a tiring task since you are getting pulled into both directions.

But think about it, on the positive side, it gives you the assurance that you and your family are practicing social distancing hence avoiding the chances of getting infected by Corona virus while giving you an opportunity to spend more time with your little ones. The more people practice this the sooner we will have control over COVID-19 situation and hopefully soon, dare I say….things will get back to NORMAL.

I am not going to lie though, the first 3 days working from home with my 4 year old son were very difficult and overwhelming. But from 3rd day on wards it got better. So here are few tips/tricks that I am using to juggle both work and kiddo at the same time.

• Start your day early…

I am usually not an early riser, if you are then you have already won half the battle. I started waking up around 4 am. I know it might sound crazy and trust me this was not very easy for me either. But that gives me almost 3 and half hours of focused uninterrupted time till my son wakes up at 7:30 am. This alone makes a huge difference and helps me accomplish more.

• Virtual babysitting/ schooling..

I am totally taking advantage of this lock down situation. Because of the COVID-19 many people all over the world are forced to stay at home. My parents who live in India, are no exception to that. They are stuck at home and are completely bored just like my son. I just ask them to come online. They can entertain my son for at least an hour. Believe it or not my son plays charades, Pictionary, story time, show and tell with them online. My parents miss my son terribly anyways and this way they can see each other and spend time with each other every day.

If you also have any of your relatives (especially grand parents ) who are getting bored at home and won’t mind entertaining your kids on face time for some time, please ask them for help. I am pretty sure they will not mind.

If not then ask your school/daycare if the teachers are willing to hold any classes online. They can use zoom meetings and meet couple of hours every day. I am pretty sure the kids will be very excited to see their teachers and school mates.

• Make use of nap times…

My son does have a nap time at school. So I do let him take a nap in the afternoons. He naps for 1.5 to 2 hours.

Let me know if these tips helped. Also share, if you have any tips on how to carve more time in this situation.