13/01/2022

The struggle is real!

COVID has changed the way we live and work. From lockdowns, working from home and homeschooling (shudder), for many of us, things are very different now to how they used to be.

It’s been tough for us all in one way or another, and things may never be the same again. One significant shift has been the move for many to working from home. This may have started from necessity but as companies have adapted, even as restrictions ease, a lot of roles have become home based, whether full time, or for part of the working week.

For working parents, this has been a game changer. With more people working from home, childcare priorities have also changed. Fewer parents now require additional childcare services before or after school as they’re no longer commuting out to their place of work and many children can be at home with their family carer after school. But this also has its pressures on working parents.

There may be greater flexibility but working from home with children can be pretty challenging. In the school holidays this is only magnified as kids are at home all day!

The positives

There are some great advantages to parents who have more opportunity to work from home. Less time commuting means more time either parenting or working. Being at home also means that, certainly for parents with older children, you might not need additional childcare before or after school.

Whilst younger children will need dropping off and picking up from school, older children are able to make their merry way all by themselves. Either way, the morning routine is less frantic when you’re able to work from home.

It’s also reassuring that you’re close by if ever needed to pick up an unwell child, and certainly helps with any medical appointments.

Circus act

Working from home with children can feel like a precarious balancing act, juggling too many balls and multiple demands. It can be difficult to get ‘quality time’ for projects due to interruptions from kids being hungry, thirsty, bored or needing help finding a necessary and usually very specific item!

We’ve all been there, an important zoom is interrupted by a starving child, or one who can’t find their favourite jumper, or desperately needs a specific toy now! Who can forget this very relatable example from a BBC interviewee being ambushed live on air?! 

It can be difficult to work productively and efficiently with additional demands and sometimes can feel like pushing water uphill. Being pulled in so many directions can make us feel like we’re not doing anything well and that we’re failing at both working and parenting.

Work life balance

With so many additional demands many parents end up reorganising their day. With time taken up during normal working hours with family needs, an early start or late working can feel like the best solution.

This can end up feeling like we’re never ‘off’ though. With additional hours built in the day to complete work projects, working parents can struggle to eek out any downtime. This is bad news for our mental health.

Horses for courses

How working from home works is different for every family. Having younger children means they still require a lot more support and attention than older kids. This might mean still requiring after school care or adjusting your working day to accommodate this. Older children are more independent and might need less ‘hands on’ attention, although they still need a level of parental guidance and support in those hours before and after school.

Not just that, but every child, regardless of their age, is different. Some children thrive in independent play, some families may have a network of local friends and family available to support them, some children may really need and benefit from more organised activities out of school hours.

Ultimately, there’s not a one size fits all solution for children and parents.

Wellbeing

It’s not only the practical things that concerns us. Parents are also aware how important our kids mental and physical wellbeing is. Thankfully there’s way more information about this now and it’s been highlighted as a high priority in recent years.

Whilst working from home may make family life run more smoothly, it can mean that both ours and our children’s wellbeing might be compromised in one way or another. Whether it’s your anxiety that your child is spending too much time on tech, or kids feeling isolated or disengaged, this is a key concern for parents right now.

School holiday chaos

Whatever your situation; working full time, part time, not working, working away or from home, the long school holidays can be organisational nightmare. Scheduling who’s where, what day and what time seems like a full time job in itself.

In one way, you might find if your able to work from home all or some of the time, school holidays are a bit easier to manage. Afterall, you’re at home when they are. But, working and school holidays can sometimes feel like oil and water, they just don’t mix!

This is a long time to keep kids entertained whilst you’re trying to fulfil your role requirements. School holidays should be a time that kids get to unwind from the pressures of school and let off some steam.

It’s also a time that they can get to try new things, spend time with friends, develop independence and grow in confidence. Thankfully holiday clubs such as Barracudas are widely available to offer kids something special that they’ll look forward to.

At Barracudas, we offer an unrivalled range of activities designed to keep kids entertained whatever their interests are. We also have specialist sessions such as motor sports and archery, giving them the opportunity to try something new and develop new passions.

With complete flexibility in booking options from a single day, to the full week during Easter and summer, we have the interests of parents and kids in mind. Barracudas camps are a day or week of entertainment for them, and peace (and peace of mind) for you.

Find your local camp and sign your child up for a holiday of fun!

We wish every parent the best of luck negotiating working and looking after children, whatever your circumstances are!