Giving New Meaning to Parenting

When I started working from home a few years ago my biggest worry was how I would be able to do both of my jobs at the same time, parenting and photo editing. At first I relied on daycare a couple of days a week. He was only 2 and needed much more energy than I could give and still get anything else done. Eventually, I couldn’t justify that cost and over time I’ve come up with a few ways to keep him busy while I work.

Josh is an only child, so either we need to entertain him or he has to entertain himself. I prefer the latter! I remember playing Barbie dolls for hours and hours when I was a kid, and I want him to have those same good memories of just letting your imagination go without someone directing the playtime.

I have a couple of strategies that I pull out whenever “why don’t you go play in your room?” doesn’t work anymore!

• Legos at my feet. For real. If he can hang out in the same room as me while I’m on the computer, he feels like he’s getting attention without a lot of effort on my part. Once in awhile I stop to pull apart a few pieces that he can’t manage, or admire a new creation, and then he’s back at it. This pretty much works with whatever toy your kid is currently “into.” It helps that I’m set up with wireless internet so I can do my work in his playroom so he’s comfortable and has his things around him.
• Printable coloring pages and cut out pages. It sounds overly simple, but the idea is that I can print out things that he doesn’t otherwise have in his coloring book collection. He’s excited to choose the pictures himself, and thinks they’re a treat. He’s especially happy to go town with his scissors and cut up lots of stuff and use his glue sticks to stick them to other bits of paper. Bonus – it’s not nearly as messy as some other craft items. Never, ever, do I break out paints while I work!
• Comic books and comic strip compilation books. I know I’m lucky to have a 5 year-old reader, but even before he could read the comics fascinated him. Right now it’s Calvin and Hobbes and Garfield books and he’s just beginning to realize there’s a whole world of comics out there. It encourages him to read, and brings me back to my own childhood to hear him giggle over them!
• Cooking shows. I don’t mind him watching some tv during the day, and I like the background noise while I work. We’ve found anything on the Food Network is a good compromise for us. He’s learning some kitchen basics and often asks to try some of the recipes he sees, and I’m happy not to have cartoons on much. He gets cranky if he watches too much tv, of course, so I do limit that.
• Listening to the radio and dancing about the room. Well, it looks like dancing but I think he’s having Pokémon or Bakugan “battles.” I let him have full control over the stereo in the living room. He’s far enough away that he can turn up the volume, and I can’t fully see him so he feels uninhibited and can play act as much as he wants, but he’s close enough that he doesn’t feel lonely. That little bit of power and freedom makes all the difference!
• Break time. It sounds counter-productive, but it’s nice for us both if I take some time away from the computer and we do something quick together. If I give him my full concentration for just a few minutes, I’m good for up to an hour of free time that he’ll play quietly afterward. If I don’t give him my undivided attention once in awhile, he starts feeling the neglect and gets whiny, starts asking for tv, etc. Sometimes it’s just as simple as reading a short book to him, playing a game of go-fish, or putting a puzzle together. I can go for 10 minutes without checking my email, really I can!
• My favorite and final trick is to get him involved in whatever task I’m doing. Now this might not work for everyone but my job happens to be very visual and he gets into that. The main part of my job is to search out photos to match a book manuscript and he loves to sit next to me and watch me surf the photo sites. He likes to think he’s helping me pick the images, and in reality he does sometimes give me an extra perspective on what I’m doing. It’s also good for him to know exactly what it is I do all day. I’m not just playing on the computer – I really am working.

Now these don’t always work, there are days when he needs more attention than others, but when I’m able to get my job done, meet my deadlines, and still have a happy kid I know I’ve doing okay. Of course, like any parent, I can always use more ideas in my arsenal; so tell me, what do you do to keep your kids busy when you need to get something accomplished?

by Annette K.

Photo graciously provided by Brandy Shaul, through a Creative Commons license, some rights reserved