Work @ Home + Kids = HELP!

by Pastor Victor Chen

Working from home with kids has always been an apparent contradiction. 

Are you working? Not as much as we would like.

Are you present at home with your kids? Not as present as we were hoping.

The result is what feels like a “lose/lose” situation where you are not getting work done and you feel guilty for neglecting your children (and frequently getting frustrated with them). Factor in our current “safer at home” situation, and our prolonged work from home with kids situation looks particularly bleak.

Fortunately, with God, all things are possible. Here are some practical tips that can help when working from home with kids.

Be clear

The difficulty lies in how ambiguous our situation is. It is not always clear whether we’re working or whether we’re just at home with the kids. Our family has found that it is helpful when I am clear in my communication about work. For example, it is helpful for everybody when I announce, “I have to be in a video chat meeting at 2pm” or “Daddy has to take a phone call at 3:30pm”. It is also clearer for everybody if you do your work in a room with the door shut (but not necessarily closed).

Be creative

When your children are particularly young (toddlers or babies) and have little sense of boundaries, we will have to be particularly creative with our work time. That means getting work done during playtime, any screen time, and especially during nap times and bedtime. 

Be gracious

Remember that your children are children and they will act like children. I find that we get frustrated with our children because we expect them to act like adults when they are in fact children. So try not to be angry when they ask you to read them a book or to play with them. Remember, children are a blessing from God entrusted to us. Even though they can be a constant source of frustration, they remain God’s blessing to us. As much as we are able, let’s enjoy them.

Finally, parents be gracious to yourselves. You may not get all the work that you wanted done. You may not have been as present as you wanted with your kids that day. But we will never have complete control of our lives.

Praise God for the One who does.

And thank God that He offers us more grace! (James 4:6)

 “ Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,

  the fruit of the womb a reward.

  Like arrows in the hand of a warrior

  are the children of one's youth.

  Blessed is the man

  who fills his quiver with them!” Psalm 127:3–5a (ESV)

*For further discussion about working from home with kids, feel free to contact Pastor Victor at vchen@evergreensgv.org