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How do I manage my roles as a parent while educating my child at home?
Parent, teacher, caretaker, partner, supplier of snacks - you might feel like you've got a lot of roles at home, especially if you're working too. There’s lots you can do to define your role, including:
- Finding pockets of time for yourself.
- Rethinking your expectations for the day.
- Letting yourself off of the hook every now and then.
Video - How to juggle your roles as a parent with Romesh Ranganathan
Romesh Ranganathan, comedian and dad, teams up with other parents to offer helpful advice on the conflicting demands on parents at home. Watch the video to find out more.
Romesh Ranganathan:
As if being a parent wasn’t already hard enough, under lockdown we’re meant to be a million other things; a teacher, a full-time snack supplier for our kids and a full-time caretaker at their school, which is now also our front room.
And we’re meant to be a partner to the person we’re locked in this hell with. Even the most skilled circus performer would struggle to juggle all that.
Why don’t we see what a few other parents are doing to keep those balls in the air without absolutely losing it.
Owen:
When I first found out that we were going to be home-schooling it felt like it was going to be fun. The actual reality of it was very different.
It didn’t work to be able to actually be doing my work and also home-schooling at the same time. I think the truth of it is that we have to just accept that we won’t get any work done that sometimes we just need to unplug from everything and just take a moment of letting ourselves off the hook.
Louise:
Juggling housework and everyday life and home ed works best for us if we do our structured learning in the morning and then the afternoon is where they do their child-led learning, so then that’s the time for yourself because that’s really important. We should just take the pressure off ourselves.
Leigh:
Because often we come into these things with an expectation of where we want to get to or what should be done, whereas actually we should be, I think, starting with the child and what they want to do and what they’re going to engage with and then build from there.
Adalaine:
The main struggle is trying to get everything done in one day.
I think it’s really important to remember that we’re not teachers. It’s fine to put your hand up and say, ‘Do you know what? I don’t really know what the answer to that is but I'm going to find out and let’s find out together’.
And use that opportunity as a really lovely bonding time –you know, you can always- Google's your friend- Google is definitely your friend, and you have other mums and dads and you have the teachers and you can just pop them in an email.
Just take a deep breath and just know that we are emergency schooling and we can only do our best. If we don’t know it, we can find out about it and learn together.
Romesh Ranganathan:
So, there you go. We’re meant to be realistic, get help, share ideas, be flexible, be kind to ourselves, make adjustments and connect with people. It’s a lot of things to juggle, too, isn’t it?
God knows what we’re all going to be like by the end of it.
When can I apply for a job in the travelling circus?
This video was recorded during the Covid-19 pandemic. We hope the advice will remain relevant and helpful to parents educating their children at home.
Home education hacks: managing your roles as a parent while home educating your child
- Try to find pockets of time for yourself. Perhaps when your children have their heads down with some work - just five or ten minutes is all it takes.
- Be willing to rethink your expectations for the day. You might begin with an idea of how you want things to play out, but how often does it actually pan out that way? Change is inevitable - just remember the best thing you can do is stay adaptable!
- Importantly, let yourself off of the hook every now and then. Don't feel guilty if you need to take a break when things aren't going exactly to plan.
Where can I find more support for home education and parenting?
The BBC Bitesize home education collection is designed to support you and your child’s learning at home with free resources for early years and foundation stage (EYFS), primary and secondary-age students.
Bitesize Parents’ Toolkit is the go-to place for the whole parenting community to find stories, expert advice and fun activities.
If your child has special educational needs and / or disabilities, be sure to check out the Parents’ Toolkit SEND collection.
For more information about home education, these BBC News articles cover the rise in families deciding to educate their children at home and, from 2021, the impact of Covid on home education.
