Working from home

[Pasaeoco01]

Hi all, not sure if this is the most appropriate forum as my youngest is 3 now so not really a baby!

Since lockdown myself and my husband have been WFH whilst also caring for our 6 and 3 year. Whilst we’re grateful we had this opportunity and flexibility it has also been so challenging. We did manage to send our children to school and preschool part tine for the last 3 weeks of term which was much needed for us and them.

However, we’re now back to all being at home for the foreseeable, certainly until September. I’m feeling so overwhelmed and depressed at this when I should be embracing the school holidays, I’m dreading it.

On the whole the children are very good but understandable want our time. My work is often time critical and I often end up having to work into the evenings to get things done. It’s just exhausting.

Fortunately I don’t quite work full time but I’m finding even when it’s my day off or I’ve finished work I can’t switch off or I just feel so down I’m not enjoying the time I have got.

In the school holidays I am lucky that my parents will help with childcare so I can work but I just feel like it’s a lost cause.

My youngest son starts school in September and I just feel like I’m wishing the time away....

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Hi I didn’t want to read and not respond. I have no advice but maybe it will help you to know that you are not alone!

I have 4 kids aged 9, 6, 2 and 6months. I am working from home but my husband has returned to work full time (he was home for 5 weeks) our nursery has not reopened and the two oldest got one week back at school last week and now we have the summer holidays to cope through.

Try not to feel guilty this has been such a tough time. I started off determined to make the most of this time and as the weeks have gone by I have got less patient and more re irritable. I feel bad because it has not been wonderful but we have made the best we can from it and I just keep telling myself that.

I understand that overwhelmed feeling and if you need to talk feel free to contact me.

[GemX81]

I'm sending you virtual hugs! And I can understand how you feel. I have a 5 year old and a 1 year old and I can understand the difficulties of juggling work and childcare during lockdown. I am a teacher so luckily now have the time to play and relax with my children and the work I do need to get done and I can do around my children but lockdown was so difficult for us as a family. My hubby is self employed and in some ways as he wasn't really working during lockdown he could look after our youngest and tend to the household chores, which made it easier. I teach secondary Science and all my lessons were done online over zoom, plus meetings and online assemblies. It was crazy. I was basically doing my whole working day but online. And in between this I was trying to homeschool my 5 year old. It was maniac! When our 5 year old could return to school it was so much easier! We had to draw up a timetable for our lives in order to cope and ensure everything got done. There were still crazy and maniac days but it did help to get everything done that needed to and helped us to prioritise what needed to be done. I know this won't work for every family but it did ours. Good luck!

[Pasaeoco01 in reply to GemX81]

Thanks so much to those who posted above! It’s reassuring to know I’m not alone in how it feels.

I’ve spoken to my husband about how I’m feeling and we both agree it feels daunting with the holidays approaching.

We’ve decided to book some annual leave and a few odd days so we can just enjoy some fun things. I also told my husband I think I just need a few hours here and there to myself. My husband plays golf and I run 2/3 times a week but that’s just an hour.

I’ve arranged a lunch date with a friend in a few weeks.

Overall after a few tears, beers, a good sleep and the bits of holiday booked I’m feeling more positive.

Wishing the posters above a stress free summer holidays well as much as it can be stress free anyway!!