Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Homeschool and work from home!!

53 replies

raindripsandroses · 13/05/2020 23:05

I just can't cope anymoreSad - it's 11pm and just finishing up for the night after a day home schooling 2 kids (8 and 6) from 9am to lunch time as both need to be sat with for approx two hours each, then plug them into devices or tv, when I try to work full time from home.
I can do job 100% remotely and in my work we are busier than ever due to COVID! But I'm effectively doing two jobs and I'm just exhausted.
Work are flexible when I do my hours but need to get stuff done and am falling behind, I do kids first as they need to work in the morning - my DH works full time out of home- back today at 8pm!!
Furlough is not an option for either of us as we are needed in our jobs more than ever!
I think I'm going to crack....

OP posts:
Boom45 · 15/05/2020 19:32

I'm in the same boat but not doing any school work with the kids. I can't, I dont have time. I'm spending time with them when i can but theres a lot of leaving them to their own devises going on when it's possible. I'm sure theyll catch up when they do get back to school.

purplepandas · 15/05/2020 19:36

I'm in too. I am so done. I told school we were stuggling too but no obvious help. I am so fed up with their expectations. Have also told work I am struggling and just removed myself from some things. We will see. I am doing 6-9am each day so that can work but not enough obv. I know it's never ending as 6-9, school work, work and more work so very long days. I am not work shy but there is no time for anything other than work or school for me I am finding. I am not alone.

No wise words but I have truly had enough like everyone else on this thread. We are picking up everything and it's impossible long term.

StarUtopia · 15/05/2020 19:46

I"m barely doing anything with mine. I'm still working. Husband is furloughed but absolutely can't deliver homeschool. He can just about keep them quiet (ish) whilst I"m working ( I realise that means I have a useless husband!)

Reading every night and the odd CGP book. That's it. They're 6 and 7.

Hopefully 6 yr old is back in 3 weeks. He needs it.

byvirtue · 15/05/2020 19:47

The people posting helpful suggestions don’t understand its fucking exhausting looking after children all day, trying to work, then having to work all evening to catch up. It’s knackering and never ending, zero me time since lockdown started. I’m exhausted and miserable I feel you op.

purplepandas · 15/05/2020 19:50

I agree @byvirtue. My parents made me feel tons worse today by trying to be 'helpful'. Their suggestions or all my fault as I am not accepting help. It's not that fucking simple people!!!! I feel your pain.

Napqueen1234 · 15/05/2020 19:54

Agree with you all 100% it’s bullshit. I hate the teacher bashing but schools need to step up and get kids back in the way every parent has stepped up until now with this virus. It’s not workable long term everyone is going to have a breakdown.

SoloMummy · 15/05/2020 21:35

@byvirtue
Why do the rest of us working mothers not get that it's exhausting, when offering suggestions? My Suggestions were amalgamations of what has worked for me BTW, whilst I work from home and teach my child, who is struggling because I am the only person that my child has to converse with 247.

Those who want to pack their children off to school. Celebrate all you like when June 1st comes, all I read that as is parents who really CBA with their own children and willing to risk theirs and their family's lives for an easier life. Yes it's hard, but parenting was never going to be a walk in the park every day!

SueEllenMishke · 15/05/2020 21:39

You lost me at CBA with our children solomummy try having to compassion and understanding

Mummyshark2019 · 15/05/2020 21:44

I am exhausted and fed up. The home schooling and trying to work is just too stressful. I am stressed and absolutely at the end of my tether. I am in a foul mood and can't take it anymore. At least we have one more week until half term.

Bathroom12345 · 15/05/2020 21:54

Could we ask some of teachers on MN for some advice. I am seeing a lot of parents on various threads in despair with little help from the schools. My nieces have had very little support, just some worksheets sent out with little marking.

Is there something going on? Is it true that teachers have been told they cannot use Zoom. Why -my DS is using it extensively (private school) but we have had to pay a significant proportion of the fees so I wonder if that is making a difference

oblada · 15/05/2020 22:07

I'm still not following - there is no requirement to home school per say. Even the kids of keyworkers going to school it was clear that this was childcare, not school. Kids will catch up so unless key stages such as GCSE or children with special needs etc I really don't see the need to make this harder than needed. Just do a bit of school work here and there and let them play otherwise. I'd imagine that's hard with children without siblings or under the age of 4-5.

Princess28 · 15/05/2020 22:13

I’m totally done in. I am a teacher doing 3-4 hours a day of live teaching (via google meets- wouldn’t touch zoom for safeguarding reasons -to pp who asked) Spread out during the day and different on everyday because the pupils follow their timetable. I have a dyslexic year 4 and a bright year 1 who I’m attempting to homeschool inbetween. Husband working & out the house from 8-6. It is so very hard. My own children have been great but the guilt is there. I’m not sure how much longer I can keep it up/together

Rainbow12e · 15/05/2020 23:07

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Summerof699 · 15/05/2020 23:21

It is very hard. It might help the school return situation if they actually asked who wants their child to return. Then those of us struggling/trying to wfh full time and home school one or more child could say we want them to return.

No judgement, some people may love home schooling etc, but it might make return to school easier if they knew only 25% of kids would be coming.

I think mental health is being forgotten, kids will be suffering due to seriously stressed parents working full time and trying to home school.

bridgetreilly · 15/05/2020 23:29

It sounds horrific, but I would try from Monday to see if you can get up and work from 6-9am, with kids responsible for getting their own breakfast and getting dressed etc. Then school. Then work. Then dinner and bed. You'll get much more done if you work first thing, rather than late into the night and it won't be hanging over you. I think it's also good for children at that age to start learning to be more independent. Obviously you set things out for them, give clear instructions and be prepared to do a bit of cleaning up at 9am. But they're old enough, I think.

bridgetreilly · 15/05/2020 23:32

And yes, definitely don't feel you have to keep up with everything the school is sending. You won't be the only one struggling to fit it all in. Do what seems sensible to you and don't worry about the rest.

GuyFawkesDay · 15/05/2020 23:38

Stop pressuring yourself so much.

I'm teaching and home schooling.

There are some days I just don't get much done with my own kids. And by that I mean barking at them to get off the Xbox and do done maths. For 10 minutes.

We cannot do full time jobs and home school and everything else and if your boss expects you to then they're bring unreasonable.

I have 2 days a week I try to catch up. 2 days where I'm working flat out and just feeding them is a good result.

Am part time do my day off is spent trying to find the floor and wash ALL the clothes, do the shopping etc. Luckily that's Friday so yeah, wine comes home from the supermarket 😆😆

NotMyUsualNameNoSiree · 15/05/2020 23:38

Me too..solidarity to you all.

DD is pre school age (3.5) so we don't have a stipulated curriculum, but keeping her occupied/engaged while managing my full-on job is hard. Thankfully DH is here (also working FT, but slightly less full on).

For weeks I've been working til 11pm, it's interminable. I've made a concerted effort to actually power down my computer, and take my monitor off the kitchen table at the weekend, to get some respite (I still work form a laptop at some point over the weekend, usually in front of the TV in the evening). It's pretty awful.

Quarantined · 15/05/2020 23:49

I've found my people!

Yes I completely agree, it's an exhausting situation. I work full time, 5 days a week, I've been putting in 11-13 hour days so as you'd expect with that, there is no prospect of fitting in helping my kids with school work. My husband is exactly the same. One of us will get lunches and dinners done for the kids and each other, we sit and eat while we work.

I feel guilty and jealous of the people who have time for their children.

Sarahplane · 15/05/2020 23:56

unfortunately not. I am an essential worker but have been told that because I can work from home my DS is not allowed to go to school as I can keep him safe at home.

OneandTwenty · 15/05/2020 23:56

but schools need to step up and get kids back in the way every parent has stepped up until now

what does that even mean? There's only so much a school can do for a 6 or 8 yo remotely! In a class of 30, what exactly do you want the school to do?

The debate about reopening the school as "normal" has nothing to do with education whatsoever, it's a completely separate issue.

LavenderLilacTree · 15/05/2020 23:58

OP maybe you should relax a little about schoolwork. They won't be harmed by missing a term of school.

www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-17/will-missing-school-due-to-covid-19-matter-for-school-students/12154266

Canuckduck · 16/05/2020 03:47

I feel the same and it’s comforting to know I’m not alone. We are both working from home but both extremely busy. Both technically essential services but able to do from home. It’s exhausting and there is no end in sight here. Something has to give especially as my work will likely want us back in the office in 2 weeks with no childcare!

DottyDetective · 16/05/2020 06:15

I’m a frontline keyworker. Husband is a non frontline key worker who is very busy. We have a toddler and a bright 5 year old who refuses to do any work at home and cries constantly that she misses school. He’s busy trying to work full time and keep the toddler alive- it’s impossible to teach too.

School have reluctantly agreed to take 5year old 2 days a week while making it clear that we are bad parents for using it. They don’t teach her either. My child is hugely disadvantaged by having a mum looking after patients. If I worked from home too we could tag team so we could manage to get 1-2 hours of schoolwork done per day.

Dishwashersaurous · 16/05/2020 08:05

But even if you say no school work then the children need to be occupied , quietly for eight hours a day.

If you are working then they need to be doing something. And young children need adult input to what they are doing.

I think a lot of people have been just about coping for eight weeks and are now at breaking point.

If there’s another 12 weeks of this then I don’t know how people will cope.

No external childcare allowed. Grandparents or other family members not allowed to visit to help out.

There are going to be permanent job losses and the consequence for people’s lives would be dire

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

Join Mumsnet Log In

This thread is closed and is no longer accepting replies. Click here to start a new thread.