Working at Home with Children in Tow

Posted by in Career Advice


Many people want to work from home because they believe this is a good way to spend more quality time with their young children. However, spending time with children means interacting with them, which does not mix well with working. Parents know that children rarely tolerate being ignored when they want something. (Just ask a parent what happens when they get on the telephone!) Regardless of what kind of work someone does at home, frequent interruptions will result in a decline in work quality. Workers are generally not as productive when they work around children ---particularly younger ones. Children rarely comprehend the frequency of their interruptions even when they try their hardest to ?leave mommy/daddy alone while she/he is working?. And, the more children, the more numerous the interruptions. The reality is that when parents work from home to be with their children it often defeats their purpose. Parents either are spending time with their children, or they are working. Whether in places of business or at home, unattended children to not mix well in a work setting. There must be some form of childcare other than the working parents. At some point the interruptions will interfere with work quality, and that decreased work quality will quickly become noticeable to employers. If parents wish to stay home to give their children quality time, fine. However, they cannot split that quality between their children and their work. Eventually, one of them will suffer.
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