Are you currently juggling the kids and the wife (or husband) and the day job all at once, all from the ‘comfort’ of your own home? You’re not alone! Thanks to the UK’s third lockdown until at least mid-February, there are hundreds of thousands of families just like you all over the UK who are struggling to make it all work together. By now, it’s highly likely that you’re all beginning to get on top of each other a bit, and there could be frustration browning all over. If you don’t address it right now, it could end up causing some serious rifts in your family, and no lockdown is worth that.

Here are five things you can do to ease the tension and help everyone to get along through these tough times.

Set Your Kitchen Up As a Multi-Use Space

For many of us, the kitchen is at the heart of the home and the palace where most of the family want to be. If you’ve got younger kids, you’ll also want them relatively close by when they’re doing their e-learning too.

Setting your kitchen up as a multiple-use space with an area for the kids to do e-learning, you to work, and your partner to do their work will be a god-send in these tough times. Check out granitetransformations.co.uk for some great ideas on kitchen layouts in the newest styles.

Give Them Freedom To Work Things Out

Giving your kid the space to work things out is a great way to teach them personal responsibility without getting in their faces too. It’s a key in the Montessori methodology of teaching children and helps to promote independence and self-confidence in children, something you can really work on while they’re learning from home.

Be Around To Help Out

Giving them space to work things out on their own doesn’t mean leaving them to it entirely. It’s a delicate balance between being around to help out and behind hands-off so they can learn to do whatever they are doing on their own.

Be sure to communicate that you’ll help, but only if they actually need it.

Create Quiet Zones

This might not be as easy as it seems, especially if your living environment is quite small, but creating quiet zones for everyone to escape to really is a must while you’re all on top of each other. Even if you designate the bathroom as a no-go area while it’s in use, this will be a welcome relief to almost everyone in your home!

Talk It Out

Lastly, make sure to talk issues out rather than bottling them up. It’s highly likely that no matter how much you love your family, they are driving you nuts right now! It’s also highly likely that you’re driving them nuts!

Work together to work through any issues and talk about what’s bothering you. The time spent now will save heartache in the future, and that is always a good thing.

Source: https://www.mind.org.uk/coronavirus-we-are-here-for-you/