To think working from home and looking after//home schooling kids is unsustainable until sept!

[heh1]

Had enough. Dh and I both in pressured busy jobs. Dc in non returning year group

We are surviving by sticking them in front of screens all day when we are on con calls

Don't want to ask for furlough as then my colleagues without dcs or who have much older dcs will get my work ( client focussed sector) and I might be made redundant

Feel pretty rubbish..

House is a shit tip..
Dcs craving attention and largely ignored
Work carrying on like business as usual

Can't manage this until Sept

GPs too far away and in vulnerable category so can't help

I can’t see kids going back full time in September

Oysterbabe My 4 year old is being extremely challenging as well. When my nursery said it wasn’t opening I did cry. It isn’t natural for them to be cooped up and I get it’s rubbish but it doesn’t help with the monster behaviour (from a child who is normally a complete angel for anyone else).

soupmaker I am hating the ‘loving making memories posts’ too. One of my friends has a lockdown blog where every post is marvellous. She never shows the kids watching Disney plus though which I know they do most days for at least 3 hours.

Thank goodness for this thread! I have been feeling so desperately guilty at always having to tell the kids I'm busy with work. And its driving me insane hearing people warble on about enjoying quality time with their kids. I know I'm just jealous but the variance in experience of this lockdown is just so vast. Three of my kids are school age. One is quite self-sufficient but the other younger two need so much more input and I and my husband just don't have the time to do it. It is turning into a nightmare.

Yup, working children and their parents thrown under a bus.
Could a teenage babysitter work? Some one who could throw an aerobie/kick a ball/have a picnic while you get some peace to work?
This could be a solution to the very bored teenagers and the very stressed working parents.
(And by the way, lockdown is meant to be this lovely change of pace with lots of gardening, baking and crafting. Fuck off!)

Working children? Hardly!

This post is making me cry. Our poor children. What a shitting mess.

Yep it's a nightmare. Mine are Yr2 and Yr4. Yr1 & R aren't even going back until 29th June here so there's pretty much no time left for ours to go back, they might get a couple of days at best. I've pretty much accepted that this is my life until September (and then who knows what?!)

I'm WFH and DH is out all day, fortunately the DC are at the better end of the behaviour/sensible spectrum.

I'm just doing what's best/easiest for us all to get by. A couple of hours school work, but I actually select work that's slightly easy for them. If it's too hard, that's it, won't do it and it's a nightmare. If they find it fairly easy then they'll more happily do it which makes life better for us all. I'm afraid there is lots of screen time, mid morning ice lollies and the like. But I find if I can keep the house calm and happy things are much easier.

This too shall pass...

I do not know how I am meant to work from home and bring up my children without resorting to a lot of screen time.
If holiday clubs are cancelled, I am stuffed.

What about childcare swaps now lockdown is easing? Today I took another kid for about 6 hours. With the nice weather you can do park for a while and then garden if you are able. It is a seriously shit situsiton I agrrr

Terrible how government not addressing it

Also. Agree re. Teenagers. Don't look at formal childcare. We have been speaking to local teens or students who are stuck at home. Pay them by the hour to take the kids to the park and wear them out.

But for now at least the Gov are paying parents with childcare issues 80% salary to stay home and not work. That’s not a bad deal for those on furlough. For everyone else still struggling through I’m not sure what they can do? They’re trying to get schools back as far as I can see but are facing resistance. Not sure what more that can do?

OP, could you and your DH work part time so that at least some of the day you are with your children? We have a 5 year old and a 2 year old and have had to do that. I'm on 50%, DP on 80% and we just about make it work. It's really, really tough.

Yes I've had to come off social media because all the posts from my furloughed or sah mum friends who have been enjoying the slower pace of life, baking with the kids and learning Italian has given me the rage!!

I'm off now to catch up on the work I should have done this pm when I was dealing with dc who was having a melt down over his school work because he "didn't get" the question, couldn't find his pencil, was hungry, thirsty etc...

I am working most nights after a full days work and childcare and still I feel like I am failing on all fronts

Gems to share: 1. “I’m just an invisible child..” “you must hate me”. 2. Last week found 5 year old building a grave in the garden with planks of wood , complete with 4 vertical knives at each corner. 3. Found 7 year old same day casually playing with a hack saw to build a desk. 4. Plenty of tantrums and items thrown at me. 5. One friend’s child started talking to some new friends in his head. 6. Another friends 7 year old ran into main road to chase a car having spotted a friend in it. Being flippant but kids are being massively affected.

Thank god I am not the only one! I feel like I’m losing the plot. I can’t seem to keep on top of work pressure, the kids schooling and their other needs. I feel so overwhelmed, like I am about to have a mental breakdown. I am going to try and take next week off as annual leave.

It’s almost like technology is working against us, here.

If this had happened before the days of wi-fi and remote working, what then?

It’s not that long ago that home wi-fi became the norm!

We wouldn’t have all left our children at home and gone to the office, either we’d all be off work, or some forms of childcare provision would have had to have been made available.

Now, the technology is there to enable us to fulfil 3 roles at the same time, but we are still just human beings with one pair of hands! 😬

Me too MrsBlondie. I'm in tears everyday. My 6 year old watched 6 hours of CBBC today, and in reality that's a win. Absolutely shite. She's an able wee cookie but she's just bereft without the structure and socialisation of school and seeing her friends. Couldn't even get her to draw a picture today, let alone do any writing. I'm sick with worry.

Does anyone think we’ll drift back to one SAHP? May be only solution?

@NeverTwerkNaked where do you get this miraculous online private school??

Re suggestions about asking to be furloughed or go part time.. I fear if I do this I will risk losing my job. We are in a client focussed industry if I'm not available my clients go to my colleagues.. it's very difficult to get clients back when you've been away for a period of time. I worked massively hard to rebuild my client base after my mat leave,

Yes employers can't just automatically select those on furlough for redundancy but if the client has built up a good relationship with another team member in the meantime .. you can see where this will go

OP you're entitled to parental leave - could you apply to take a few weeks AL and a few weeks PL and same for your DH? That could cover July and August.

Lots off teenagers would love to earn money do you know any could have DC for 4 hours a day.

Hi everyone
I'm in the same boat and have spent the last month on the verge of tears every day. I have however found the following useful for short bursts of homeschool if it helps and if you haven't already tried:
Teded
Oak academy
BBC bitesize
David Williams elevenses
White rose maths

Totally get this may be no help whatsoever but wanted to try to help if o could

I'm In Scotland and have been told children in my council will return 2 days a week. Better than nothing but no idea how I can continue to do 3 days working from home and trying to get them through home learning and no idea how long the 2 days of school will continue.
I feel like the early days with a baby when you are just living day to day and you cannot see past 24 hours. It doesn't feel much like living.....
My children dislike me more and more these days too.

I feel the same. Working from home and helping my daughter with her school work. Both 'tied' to a laptop.