I’ve been thinking a lot about the past year and how families have been juggling homeschooling and working from home. It’s been really hard, and many parents are struggling. We tried two different approaches during lockdowns, and the first one felt very different from what we’re doing now.
During the first lockdown we took homeschooling seriously and put a lot of pressure on ourselves. My husband would work from the early morning until lunchtime while I taught the kids, then we’d swap and I’d work into the late evening. It didn’t feel sustainable, but we kept it up from 23 March 2020 until the end of July. It was exhausting. The school holidays brought relief, but also panic about how to fill all that time. We spent a lot of it outside — beach days, long walks and fresh air helped.
This time we don’t have the same luxury of splitting the day. My job needs my full attention and my husband is wrapping up his role before starting a new one in April. We’re also in a smaller space because the conservatory is too cold to use, so we’re trying to work and keep the kids occupied in the same rooms. It’s relentless. I often feel guilty toward both the children and my employer. It’s a difficult mental juggle every day. Teachers have asked parents to direct learning questions to them, which has helped a bit.
I recently saw a Glassdoor survey of 2,004 parents who are juggling the same things, and I completely relate to the top responses. I’m really hoping lockdown eases soon and the children can return to school. We should find out soon whether restrictions will be lifted, which would take a lot of pressure off parents trying to manage work and home schooling.
