I’ve worked from home since 2012, and my son has been homeschooled his entire academic career (he’s 14 now, so it’s been a good while). With that being said, juggling work and parenting is just daily life over here.
In fact, it can be HARD.
They don’t exactly understand that even though you’re home, you’re also at work. In their mind, if you’re home, you’re home.
They don’t see the invisible line between “I’m available” and “I need to focus.” They just know that their favorite person is right there — and that means they have unlimited access to you.
Need a snack? Ask Mama..
Can’t find the blue crayon? Ask Mama.
Want to tell a long, meandering story about their favorite cartoon? Mama’s right there, so why not?
And let’s not forget the noise. Oh, the noise. Toddlers don’t quite grasp the concept of an “inside voice,” and they certainly don’t care if you’re on an important Zoom call.
There’s also the mess — because keeping a toddler entertained often means your living room looks like a Toys R Us exploded.
Then there’s the unpredictability factor. Just when you think you’ve settled into a groove, something happens — a diaper blowout, a nap strike, an epic meltdown because no matter how hard they try, they can’t jump into a picture like Steve and Blue.
Trying to maintain focus and productivity in the midst of that chaos? It’s like trying to write a novel in the middle of a rock concert.
It’s been a while since I had a toddler walking around (other than when my nieces and nephew would visit), but I remember those days all too well.
Like I said, my son has always been home with me — I never did daycare (outside of a brief stint where he attended a Mother’s Day Out program at a local church).
As a single mom, I didn’t have a built-in babysitter who watched him every day. My brother (who was 17 at the time), definitely helped out when he could, but he had a life of his own. 😂
And, like many work-from-home parents, I didn’t have the option to just not work. Bills needed to be paid. So, I had to figure something out.
The System That Saved My Sanity
When my son was little, I just had to make it work — keeping him in the room with me, making sure he had plenty of activities to keep him entertained, and, yes, sometimes relying on the pack-and-play/TV combo when necessary.
But once he hit pre-K age, I came up with a system that worked surprisingly well: the traffic light system.
I taught him the meaning of traffic light colors and then cut out construction paper “traffic lights” to tape to my door:
🔴 Red = Do NOT come in unless it’s an emergency (and I gave him examples — basically, if he or someone else was hurt or something was happening that could hurt someone).
🟡 Yellow = Knock and wait for me to say whether you can come in.
🟢 Green = Come and go as you please.
I’d tape the right color on the door so he always knew what to expect. It took a little time, but he caught on!
And let me be clear — I didn’t just leave him in a room by himself and walk off. He had plenty of toys, books, games, and “funducational” activities to keep him busy. I’ve never been one of those parents who are against screentime, so he also had access to a tablet with fun, educational games, plus DVDs he could watch.
How It Works Now That He’s Older
These days, I don’t need the paper system anymore. Now, I just let him know what’s up.
If I’m on a client call? That’s red light vibes.
If I’m in deep writing mode? Also red light vibes (because being interrupted mid-thought is the worst).
If I’m on a coworking call? That’s a yellow light — he knows to get my attention first before passing by (I work in a corner of the living room that’s right next to the kitchen and bathroom).
Otherwise, if I’m just working on my computer, he’s free to do his thing.
It’s not perfect, but this system made working from home so much smoother. And if you’re in the trenches of trying to juggle work and parenting, I hope this helps!
Now, I’d love to hear from you — how do you keep your kids occupied when you’re working? Drop your best tips in the comments!
