Is this fair? What would your kids do in this situation?

[KindergartenKop]

Scenario: Parent in online meeting doing presentation for four hours with two ten min breaks. Children age 6 and 9 hate each other. Kids would need to eat tea (pre prepared) and generally not kill each other or disturb parent during the presentation. Situation has occurred because other parent has covid and is trying to keep away from kids.

Questions: Is this neglectful to abandon kids like this just as a one off?
Is this too long to leave them to their own devices?
Would your kids be able to not kill each other or interrupt for this amount of time?
Would you give up on isolation for other parent or ask work to cancel part or all of presentation?

Depending on the presentation, but if possible I would make it know that I had kids at home and other parent isolating so I may occasionally need to go off camera to sort something out. I did an online training course the other day while isolating with DD and occasionally had to turn my camera and mike off to talk to her, but I made sure the host was aware.

Saw update - I get why you want to avoid Covid. The children will be fine.

Oh and if they do come in so be it. The world has changed and most people are far more tolerant of the interruptions. It is stressful when it happens at bad moments but it’s looked on far more tolerantly than a couple of years ago!

My 3 can cause carnage or be angels 😇

What type of presentation is it? Is it one where it would be absolutely unthinkable that you are interupted?

Or could you give a brief explanation that due to Covid playing havoc with your child care arrangements, you've chosen to go ahead with it, with DC about, rather than cancel.

I don't feel it's neglectful, but prep ahead, electronics, snacks....eldest upstairs, youngest downstairs ...get them to ask DH questions through the bedroom door as first point of contact?

What would the impact of cancelling be? Reputation? Financial? or neutral.

It will be slightly stressful, but can be done in a pinch.

Not exactly neglectful just super unrealistic. Mine wouldn’t manage to not get into a row or some other problem.

Not sure what occupies a 9 year old

At that age, I'd have been happy if I had a supply of books. Being left alone to read for four hours without interruption would have been my idea of heaven. OP, have you got time to go to The Works, or have you got a Kindle you can load up, if your 9 yo is a keen reader?

If mine had unlimited access to snacks and computers/tv, I could be doing a presentation for days and wouldn't see them!

Mine would have murdered one another after about 15 seconds at those sorts of ages.

I'd give up on the Covid isolation. I understand why you don't want to risk not being able to work, but I think you run the risk of catching Covid (or flu, or anything else) just by breathing, and it's a risk you just have to run.

Mine get on well and don't fight, but they still need a lot of input. I think it's a big ask. In lockdown my work was a bit more flexible than this. If ill parent is not too ill I think we'd do a combo of that parent popping in a few times with mask, distance etc, and maybe well parent tweaking work to give a 5 min break every hour if poss. Tea packed up in lunch boxes and a written schedule planned in advance with kids. One of mine is autistic so I expect he needs structure more than most. He relied on his timetable through lockdown.