Every school year is a little unpredictable. If you have a child enrolled in school and know that they will be staying home to take virtual lessons, that issue can throw a kink into your normal activities. What can already be tough to handle can become even more complicated if you happen to be divorced and share custody with your co-parent.
Even with shared custody and a work-from-home schedule, you may find it hard to balance child custody and your career. Here are a few ideas that can help you make it work.
Have a structured routine
The first thing to do is to set up a structured routine. If you work from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. every day, look at when you can set aside time to help your child with homework, prepare or serve lunch and take care of other issues. If you have an hour-long lunch break in the middle of the day, would preparing lunch the night before and working on homework with your child then be beneficial? Consider using your breaks to your advantage.
Consider work-at-home parent groups
Another possibility is to work with a parent group and to set up playdates during your workdays. A parent who doesn’t work on Monday or Tuesday may be happy to have your child at their home for a few hours while you complete your busiest hours of work.
Work out something with your co-parent
If you and your co-parent are on good terms these days, you may be able to turn to them for more assistance. Since you both want what’s best for your child, it may be useful to make a few temporary changes to your usual custody routine. Or, maybe you’re willing to have your ex over to your house to help your child with their homework while you focus on your job.
It can be tricky to make virtual schooling and remote working conditions work for you. If you can’t find a solution, it may be time to talk to your ex-spouse about a different shared custody schedule.
