It’s wonderful to work from home, as those of us that are lucky enough to do so I am sure will agree. No more nine to five, lunch when you want to, walk the dog when you want to. But what about the school holidays? Just how do you mix the freedom and relaxed routine when the kiddies are bounding around? Do you give in and pay a child minder (expensive) or make the best of being a freelancer and juggle children and work without a second thought? What if you have to go out to work anyway, so a child-minder is the only option? Or do you book some extra time off work?
Maybe this is the first time you have had to face this battle of distractions, but there is help at hand if you are unsure how to tackle it. Check out www.quib.ly and you will find a hub hosting a like-minded community of parents with children who are trying their best to juggle work, home life and family. Throw in a bit of technology just to mix it up a little and make it more complex and you have the perfect mix that is Quib.ly!
So how exactly do you do the best job that you can of the school holidays vs. working from home syndrome? First of all, plan ahead. As a freelancer you can set your hours and choose how much work to take on. Maybe work in the mornings, while the kiddies are still relaxing in bed and watching TV. Manage your work so that you can take a break in the afternoon and then, only if necessary, get back to working a little more once the little ones are tucked up in bed.
But what if you have older children, tweenies’ heading towards teens? In this case, it should be a lot easier. They can get their own version of breakfast, keep themselves occupied and generally busy until you have time to devote to them. If money is tight, which it usually is, sit down together and plan out some things to do during the time that school is closed. This doesn’t mean that you have to entertain them every day. Far from it. I am sure we all remember when we were children and our parents worked, we would be turned out into the countryside or side streets for the day with a gang of playmates and left to fend for ourselves until mum or dad came home. We never suffered for it and it is wrong to think that we have to molly-coddle our children every step of the way. Let them have some days to themselves when they go out with friends. As long as you know where they are, and have a way of keeping in touch with them (mobile phone), then they should be fine.
Apart from that, check out what the other parents on Quib.ly are doing. If you go out to work and use a child-minder, then you are going to have an expensive few weeks to cover, and if you work from home, you are going to have to get some planning done. Better to be prepared than end up screaming at the kids! They deserve some wonderful school holidays filled with happy memories, and so do you.
