By Stephanie M. Hollick, CPA

With the rise of the pandemic and the sudden work-from-home orders, I have to admit that I didn’t hate the idea. My first thoughts, in fact, were positive: I would get to spend more time with my children as I would be with them all day and we would be able to have breakfast and lunch together. It also would be easier for me to get dinner ready and maybe even squeeze in a couple of small chores done during the day. In theory, it seemed awesome; in reality, I have never been more exhausted.  

Even before the pandemic, I often felt the pressures of “Work like you have no children, and raise your kids like you don’t work.” But these pressures, to be honest, were often put on me by myself. I would fall into the Facebook trap of watching all these great things parents were doing with their children. This was compounded as I watched moms and dads have their kids set up for online homeschooling, doing fun projects, or going outside for afternoon hikes all while working from home.  

This is not how it works in our house.  

It has been a daily struggle to get my 9-year-old to do her schoolwork. My 2-year-old didn’t understand why I couldn’t color with her when she asked, and my being on conference calls trying to work with a crying infant in my arms is not ideal. By 3:00 every day, I am absolutely exhausted from working and trying to keep my kids safe.  

After doing this for the last couple of months, we haven’t found perfection, but we have gotten into a routine that works for us. To all the other parents out there working from home and who have children, here are a few reminders I often repeat to myself. Maybe they can help you too:

• You are doing great given the current situation; we are not meant to be able to both work full time and watch our children full time. Try not to get so upset if something goes wrong because you cannot watch your kids like you should because of work. There is only so much attention to go around: manage through what you are given.
• Don’t sweat the small stuff! When home began to look more like a daycare room with toys everywhere, I started to get edgy. I thought that by being at home the house would be immaculate. I’ve come to accept that, at the end of the day, I’ll just throw the toys in a box in the corner because it will be a repeat tomorrow.  
• Three meals a day with my kids had originally excited me as a bonus of working from home. What I didn’t consider was the accumulation of all the dirty dishes. I can’t keep up. There are some days where I throw up my hands and choose to let the dishes wait until later so I can spend some focused time with my children.  
• Not everything is going to be perfect. Getting into a groove of what works for you and your family. There will continue to be bumps in the road, but you will manage through them.
• Last, but certainly not least, enjoy! Every day may feel like total chaos, but step back and appreciate the truly silver lining of spending time with your family.

Stephanie M. Hollick, CPA, is director of finance at Geisinger Jersey Shore Hospital in Jersey Shore. She can be reached at shollick1@geisinger.edu.

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