Working from Home with Kids

Photo: Silvana Marshall

This photo pretty much sums up how working from home is going (minus the blazer and jeans, of course). 

As soon as I start a Zoom or a Meet or a phone call, someone is calling, “Mommy!” or bouncing into my video or whispering in my ear. 

But you know what? C’est la vie. Especially, c’est la vie during Covid. 

Everyone who works with me knows I have kids. Anyone who’s had kids knows what kids can be like. And while they’re honestly pretty great most of the time, sometimes, they still need help. They still need me. 

So, I typically start most conversations with, “I have kids at home, so we may get interrupted
.” 

And you know what? Everyone understands. 

If I have to move an appointment because I need to set the girls up for school, I don’t make excuses. I don’t pretend I don’t have children (which, by the way, someone once told me to do). 

We’ve come a long way in the last couple of years when it comes to work-life flexibility, for obvious reasons. And as parents who work, it’s easy to feel guilty or even embarrassed when kids interrupt an important call. Who remembers the BBC interview back in 2017 that made international news, became a gif and was featured on many comedy shows? If 2020 didn’t normalize that experience, I think 2021 just might. 

So, if you're overwhelmed with feeling like your kids are always up your butt when you're trying to work, you're not alone. Excuse yourself, speak to your kids and breathe. And if the person on the other side of the call or video thinks differently about you for caring for your kids, maybe they’re not the person you want to be talking to anyway.