To relieve guilt
Despite its air of déjà-vu, having to home school while working upsets many parents. “People have already experienced it, but it’s still a big challenge to reconcile everything,” says Audrey Caron, psychoeducator and mother of three children in elementary school. “Even when you are equipped and trained in education, it remains a similar challenge,” adds psychoeducator and author Solène Bourque. According to Audrey Caron, we must start from the principle that we cannot assume three roles impossible to combine while being efficient at work, teaching assistant and model parent. “If we try to do too much, we will become more stressed. The children will feel it. It’s the family atmosphere that will take a hit. It is sure that there will be a decrease […], you have to accept it, ”she said. But you can alleviate the guilt, in her opinion, by giving children little moments of attention throughout the day and spending quality time with them in the evenings. One of the things she posted on her Facebook page? For example, play a “hands-off” board game while cooking.
Let go
PHOTO PROVIDED BY AUDREY CARON
Psychoeducator Audrey Caron
A simple concept to say, but not quite as easy to apply, many will say … Letting go, it could start by putting aside the household, for example, or even the preparation of elaborate meals, suggests Solène Bourque. “We must assess our priorities,” said the mother and mother-in-law, who says she herself applies the “big rocks strategy”. “If you put sand in your pot first, you don’t have room for large rocks.” If we accumulate lots of little things that are not important in our day, there will be no room for what is really important. His advice? Reduce the “window of expectations”. Audrey Caron agrees: “We are not in the perfect moments, there; we are in the “we are all doing our best”, ”she insists. In one of the posts on her Facebook page, she ends up on a humorous note that struck a chord with many parents: “My house is also a mess. ”
Plan … as much as possible
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, PRESS ARCHIVES
Solene Bourque
According to Audrey Caron, if there is one thing to prioritize, it is planning. Plan lunches the day before, for example, organize your breaks according to those times of the day when the children are likely to be more tired and, if possible, work early in the morning so that you can stop without worry afterwards. “When we see that it’s been three times that the child comes to ask questions, it means that it is the moment to go and fill his reservoir of attention,” she emphasizes. Solène Bourque, she is preparing a tray of independent games that she can take out in a jiffy at the right time. Does our child like crafts? We put in the bin everything we need to occupy it – paper, pencils, scissors, glue… -, even if it’s just for 15 to 30 minutes.
Make peace with screens
Sometimes, even when the parents’ attention is no longer enough to satisfy the children (especially at the end of the day!), It may be the occasion to make a Zoom with Grandma or listen to a TV show, suggests Audrey Caron. And there are also these virtual meetings which teleworkers cannot always escape … “If we know that the child is in front of the screen that he is the most quiet, of course we will choose this option. I say to keep the longest screen time for these essential moments, when you know that you cannot pay attention to the child at all and that you have to concentrate on your work, ”explains Solène. Bourque. In the course of a day, the important thing, according to her, is to space (and time!) The screen time, to vary the content and to set conditions to prevent the child from spending two hours of on his tablet watching YouTube videos one after the other. For example, choose dance videos that will allow him to move, audio content rather than video (such as podcasts)… “At home, we made jokes with the children: they have to go around the room. house three times before returning to the tablet! ”