For many of us, one of the most challenging parts about working from home is dealing with the rest of our family. Whether it’s your husband trying to encourage you to take the afternoon off or your mom phoning up for “a chat”, nobody seems to realize that you’ve got just as much on your plate as you usually do.
But you don’t know anything about distraction unless you have kids. These parents tried to work from home during COVID lockdown, *tried* being the key word here. The photos they had to share of their kids are just hilarious.
1. Dressing up
Who said you had to wear your pjs when working from home? This mom was convinced to wear her own wedding dress for lunch by her kids. Well, it’s probably (hopefully) the only time she’s ever going to wear it again, so why not a weekday during work?
Source:
Twitter
2. “Artwork”
Unless you’re one of the fortunate few to be able to afford a nanny, most of us aren’t able to give our kids the constant supervision they clearly need. As this person found out, when their kids decided to do some artwork with bright green paint… on their leather couch.
Source:
Instagram
3. Getting the dogs involved
When homeschooling gets tough, you’ve got to think of a way to lighten things up. This parent decided to get the dogs involved in teaching… and the message is clear if not simple. Kids look like they’re learning, anyway.
Source:
Reddit
4. Working with kids, a definition
Did you really work from home with kids if you didn’t work from home with kids? It doesn’t count if your child is nicely playing in another room. There’s always going to be a moment when they want to sit on your shoulders while you’re in the middle of something important.
Source:
Reddit
5. A visit from Spiderman
One of the best things about kids is their imaginations. This mom’s son put on his Spiderman costume, and dammit if he wasn’t going to act like Spiderman for the rest of the day. This led to him, at one point, popping up behind his mom and whispering “Can you hear me breathe?” in her ear.
Source:
Imgur
6. More “artwork”
To a small child, the whole world is a canvas. Who said painting should be limited to a boring old white piece of paper? The new kitchen flooring is much bigger, and therefore has much more appeal. Well, if that’s not a lesson to store all paint as far away from your home as possible, nothing is.
Source:
Twitter
7. The realities of homeschooling
“Oh, it’s just basic multiplication and spellings, there’s nothing difficult about it!” How many parents ended up completely going back on their preconceptions of what homeschooling would look like? This kid’s mom is everyone. Don’t even pretend otherwise.
Source:
Facebook
8. Creating a fort
Kids love a good fort, and considering they haven’t had school or sport to keep them entertained, this is the next best thing. But, and let’s be truthful here, did this parent honestly make the fort for their kids… or for themselves? Looks like the best place to go when you need a bit of quiet time on your laptop.
Source:
Reddit
9. Taking the snacks hostage
One of the worst things about having kids stuck inside during lockdown? They’re CONSTANTLY hungry. How is a child’s stomach so expansive? This fed-up parent decided that their kids would have to earn their treats from now on – no more badgering mom and dad or helping themselves.
Source:
Facebook
10. When normal toys are boring
Kids and pets are similar in some ways: you can spend loads of cash on an expensive toy for them, only for them to take more interest in the packaging. These kids know what risky play with a giant cardboard envelope looks like.
Source:
Reddit
11. When you’ve hit rock bottom
You’re stuck inside for days on end. You know no-one can help you, because no-one’s even allowed into the threshold of your home. There’s only strength in you for one more cry for help – in the form of a message written on your driveway in pink chalk. Someone call for backup.
Source:
Reddit
12. Living room/ skate park
If there’s one way to beat the homeschool boredom, it’s to don your roller skates at playtime and release some energy. Loudly. It’s just a shame that this activity had to take place on the wooden floor of one WFH parent’s living room.
Source:
Twitter
13. Pulling apart the gadgets
Every parent knows that, to prevent a child from telling you they’re bored every half-hour, you need to find something that’ll keep them busy all morning – or even better, all day. This dad set his kids a momentous challenge, which appears to involve the inside of computer hardware. Hopefully he’s not expecting this back in its original state.
Source:
Reddit
14. Getting out the DnD
Most parents wouldn’t think to introduce their kids to DnD at least until they were in their early teens – it’s pretty complex, after all. But working from home has proved that anything’s possible, and this parent ran a DnD campaign for their kids with a few simplifications. Looks like they’re genuinely having a great time.
Source:
Reddit
15. A graph we can all understand
What is it with math graphs being based on really random subjects, like how many apples Jimmy ate vs how full he felt? At least this parent has based their graph off a real-life scenario. It makes it more memorable that way.
Source:
Reddit
16. Repelling the kids
Trying to keep your kids out of your home office isn’t easy, but one mom had an idea that genuinely worked: underwear. No kid wants to think too much about their parents’ underwear, let alone touch it. So here’s the solution: hang your underwear on the door handle to your office.
Source:
Reddit
17. When your kids are plotting something
Most parents have had a small fear, usually before going to sleep, that their kids are going to become so bored with being at home that they’ll end up plotting something (maybe even against them). This little girl definitely seems to be onto something here. Or, plot twist, was the little girl summoned by the sign?
Source:
Reddit
18. Working out… with kids
We haven’t just been forced to work from home this year – we’ve had to do everything from work. When this dad couldn’t hit the gym, he made use of the equipment he had in his home. Even if it was a bit wrigglier than the weights he was used to dealing with.
Source:
Reddit
19. Taking it out on the pets
Kids are bored. Parents are working and won’t tell the kids for the 20 millionth time to “read a book”. Kids head on over to the family pet. Family pet is disturbed from sleep. Family pet considers starting a new life in the abandoned grounds of the local school.
Source:
Reddit
20. When life gets too much
This post might be all about how tough it is to work from home as a parent, but let’s not forget about our kids! This kid looks like he’s just about had enough of homeschooling. Staring at a fence is definitely more enjoyable.
Source:
Twitter
21. When boredom reaches a new level
It’s always nice when kids take it upon themselves to use the items in your home that are deliberately stored out of their reach. When this little boy was climbing shelving to gain access to the hair clippers, did he never stop to think that there was a reason why he wasn’t supposed to touch them? Nope – not even when the damage was done.
Source:
Reddit
22. Toilet paper bath
We can only imagine that this WFH parent hit the roof when they saw their precious toilet rolls floating in the bathwater. Do their children not understand just how rare this stuff is?! It’s gold dust – floating in the bath. There are no words.
Source:
Reddit
23. A small spy
When you have kids, you’re never alone. Even when you lock the doors and shut the blinds. If you want to know what it’s like to have your own personal stalker, just have children. Awkward when this person’s son discovered that they weren’t really at work, but working from home.
Source:
Reddit
24. “Cleaning”
We all know that toothpaste cleans our teeth. So, logically, to this little girl, toothpaste should also clean the couch… right? Unfortunately, with tensions being high in family homes right now, small-child logic isn’t something that can be lovingly laughed off. Or, at least, not until she’s cleaned up the mess.
Source:
Reddit
25. When the kids won’t leave you alone
When your kids aren’t spying on you, they’re hanging around just outside of your “private mommy space”, ready to interrupt you at a moment’s notice. They think they’re being discrete, but you can hear them breathing and making constant kid noises as much as you can see them.
Source:
Reddit
26. More working with kids
If your kid doesn’t want to sit on your shoulders while you’re working, perhaps they’ll prefer to sit on your chest, partially blocking you from your screen. Shame they can’t actually do the work for you, all things considered.
Source:
Reddit
27. Extreme measures
Cruel or necessary? Necessary, always. If you’re lucky enough to think this is a step too far, feel glad that you’ve never had to take your one kids hostage just to get them to shut up. These two look like they’re enjoying the experience, anyway…
Source:
Reddit
28. When you let them play outside
Kids bugging you to play in the garden? Two words: big mistake. If you can’t supervise, don’t expect them to come inside looking like they did when they left. As this mom’s daughter expertly proved.
Source:
Imgur
29. SOS, the TV’s broken
When there really is no other alternative, the TV is a reassuring beacon of light in the distance. Kids refusing to read, exercise, play together, or do some schoolwork for a second longer? TV it is. Until an absolutely horrific situation like this occurs.
Source:
Reddit
30. And finally…
You thought the other toilet roll picture was bad? Try buying 18. And having your kid take them all for bath time. The heartbreak is real.
Source:
Twitter
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