Is Juggling Work and Family Responsibilities a Tall Order for Parents Lately?

Imagine not only acclimating to a new normal of working from home & replacing in-person meetings with video calls, but also having antsy children to supervise, entertain, and feed. This has become the reality for many working parents since the onset of COVID-19. We recently surveyed parents with children in their households to gain perspective on how this adjustment has been.

Nearly half (46%) indicated they are finding their children who aren’t in school all day are “bored and in need of entertainment all day.”

Speaking of coming up with ways to entertain their children, three-in-ten admitted they are allowing their kids “more screen time so that I can focus on work.” Slightly fewer also observed that their children who are no longer in school all day “don’t have a clear curriculum to follow.” (27%).

Items parents have purchased recently to add in entertainment and/or schooling? Arts & crafts supplies, board games, and teaching/learning tools. With spring break in play, perhaps this is how parents will entertain their kids in lieu of a family vacation.

As for what their kids have been doing online to make the hours pass quicker, 60% of parents indicate their child has participated in a video call with friends in the last month, with half having done something similar with teachers & classmates. Four-in-ten also indicate that their kids have played online games virtually with friends in recent weeks.

Stay tuned for an upcoming post on how a key member of our team is navigating working at home with kids in tow.