Working at U-M during the past nine months has been an extra challenge for many parents.  Some are working on-site, while many are working remotely from home, while also taking care of young children and/or supporting virtual school assignments.

At the October 15 virtual Connecting the Dots conference, there was a session dedicated to pandemic parenting. A recording of the session is available on the Work-Life Resource Center website, along with copies of the slide presentation. 

Attendees were asked to share stories describing their experiences and asked about strategies used to manage this challenge. Here are some of the ideas shared:

• Make space to be imperfect.  Us as parents, us as employees, and our children as tiny humans all doing the best we can in a complicated situation.
• Create a completely separate workspace, one that does not also include sleeping, eating, or relaxing. Use time otherwise spent commuting for physical movement breaks.
• Divide dinner-making duties among your family when you have older children. 
• Let others know there may be times when you have to step away from a meeting for a few minutes to help your child connect to remote classes, and it’s okay.
• Stick to a routine schedule of activities; let kids help make decisions about what the schedule should look like.
• Consider working with another family to exchange caregiving and virtual school support activities to give yourself a few hours of uninterrupted work time.
• Be intentional about caring for yourself. 
• Set reminders to move, take a break from looking at screens; even eating may need to be intentional.
• Try to get outside for a walk every day after work.

The pandemic has taken an emotional toll on everyone, including children.  Routines have been altered and there have been many restrictions on outside activities including gatherings with friends and families.  Christine Snyder, Center Director for the U-M Health System Children’s Center, shares her ideas for recognizing and responding to emotions in children 0-8 years. (link to Christine’s document here).

The Work-Life Resource Center has many additional tips for success while working from home. If you have additional questions about family support at U-M, email [email protected].