Coping with the Burden of Working and Homeschooling

Many parents are employed outside the home and children are sent to schools and daycares to prepare them for the future. For many years, things worked very well because parents can drop their children to school or daycare, and they can focus on working and paying the bills. In December 2019, things started changing in China and the rest of the world watched on to see what was happening. Most people did not think that this would be such a problem for the whole world because China seems very far away. Some countries were taken by surprise when the rest of the world was in complete lockdown. In March 2020, our world was turned upside down and the inhabitants were scattering or guarding their lives. This change impacted everyone. Parents were faced with the challenge of working and homeschooling their children. Teachers were hurrying to find a solution for online learning and some of them have family obligations and young children to teach at home. Working at home can have lots of benefits if you plan to work at home, but when you are forced to work at home it can be a nightmare for the family. Some parents with more than one child may not have access to technology for every child so they must decide who gets the computer first and for how long. We know that there will be a problem because this is not something that we planned and understand the pros and cons before we start. This is a time when we are all placed in the same boat and no one knows the answer. It can be a learning curve for both parents and children. As parents try to understand their role as a stay at home working parents or parents, this can be overwhelming. We have been socialized to seek help from someone who can give us an answer, but today it seems that no one has the answer to the current problem. We are all learning together. I know that we can adapt to any situation, but things will be hard. The internet has made things easier for working and learning at home. Teachers and coworkers can conference each other so there is some form of visual communication. Parents are encouraged to try to make a schedule and have conversations with children about what is happening because they are scared and worried about what is happening in our world. I hope that this will have a happy ending for everyone.