Juggling Work and Kids at Home During the Strike: Realistic Tips for Parents
If you’re trying to meet deadlines with a child in your lap and snacks flying across the room, you’re not alone. With the teacher’s strike underway, many parents are suddenly full-time caregivers and also full-time employees, without a minute’s notice.
Let’s be honest: this is hard. You’re not failing. You’re adapting. The goal right now is survival, not perfection.
Here are some realistic, guilt-free strategies to help you manage working from home while your kids are unexpectedly out of school.
1. Lower the damn Bar
This isn’t Hollywood. Your kitchen can be messy. Your kids might watch more TV than usual. That’s okay.
Give yourself permission to stop trying to do everything. Prioritize what must get done for work and meet your kids’ basic needs. Everything else is optional.
2. Create a Loose Daily Schedule
You don’t need to recreate the school day. Instead, use a simple rhythm to guide the day:
- Morning (breakfast, walk, story)
- Activity Blocks (independent play, crafts, screen time)
- Outdoor time (if possible)
- Quiet time after lunch
- Free play or rest
A visual schedule (with pictures and drawings) can help kids feel more secure. But keep it loose, you need flexibility, not more pressure.
3. Screen Time is your Friend (I would not normally say this)
- Educational shows or apps in the morning
- Their favourites during work meetings
- Something active or calming in the afternoon (Cosmic kids’ yoga, StoryBots, etc.)
Just remember this is a temporary solution, not a parenting failure.
4. Ask for Help in the Community
Now’s the time to remember the phrase “it takes a village.”
-Coordinate playdates or child swaps with other trusted parents
- Ask grandparents to do video story time or virtual check-ins
- Check with local organizations offering camps or open libraries
Even one hour of help can make a difference.
5. Don’t forget Self-care
Breathe. Make a hot drink. Step outside. Cry if you need to. Then come back in and keep going.
This isn’t easy and it’s not supposed to be. But you’re doing enough, and your kids don’t need perfection, just love and presence when you can give it.
This moment is messy. But it’s also temporary. Give yourself permission to be human. Your kids will remember that you showed up, not whether the house was clean or the math worksheet got done.
You’ve got this. And if you don’t? That’s okay too. We’re all figuring it out, together
Until next time…give yourself some grace.