Moms working from home are very often asked how in the world do you do that? The answer is many of us have no idea how to explain it. Working from home with children takes a lot of hard work, patience, and the ability to multitask like you wouldn’t believe. Sometimes moms who work from home are are told wow your so lucky you get to stay home it must be so much easier and and yes it is an amazing thing to be able to stay home with your children and not have to miss any of their milestones and create an endless amount of memories but easy is definitely not a way I would describe it. It can be hard to focus some days when your in a meeting and your toddler is trying to let you know they pooped from the other room or your kid just doesn’t get why they have to be quiet when they can hear you talking all day on the headset so why cant you chat with with them about the one billion questions they have thought of today. When it gets tough I think a lot of dads have no idea how to support mom when she is juggling it all especially if she isn’t voicing what she needs to have a better more productive day or maybe she doesn’t even quite know what she needs. Here are a few ways ways dads can be more helpful to a mom figuring out her work from home, stay at home mom life balance so everyone can be on the same page and mom can be more content on her decision to be a work from home mama.

Share some tasks: One way dads can help out is by helping out with household chores without being asked. When a mom wakes up her mind is racing with a billion things that she will need to do in order to have a productive day and those things don’t have to be big things but they still matter so if she doesn’t have to think let me tell dad he has to do XYZ that is one less thing she has to jot down in her brain as things to do.

Respect moms work space: Everyone in the house should be learning that mom has a designated space for working and when she is in that space she will need as little interruptions as possible or everyone will need a courteous way to approach her to make sure she isn’t on a call or in a meeting. Dad can help with that by reminding the kids of the importance of mommy’s work space and showing examples to them so she doesn’t have to be the only one expressing it.

Scheduled time with kids: If mom has a time of the day when she knows her job will pick up and she will need to be able to focus more or a time of day where she has any deadlines dad can step in and take over the responsibility of keeping the kids entertained so mom can productively get her work done without interruptions.

Help with meals: Dad can find ways to help prep snacks and easy meals for the kids so mom doesn’t have to step away each time to prepare them. Dad can also make sure the kids know that they can ask him if they need a snack or meal, they don’t always have to ask mommy especially when she is busy. Kids love to pretend their dad isn’t around when they want something and will go straight to mommy each time this can be very distracting at times.

Help with morning routine: Mom may want a few minutes before she has to clock in to have a cup of coffee or catch up on things or do a wakeup exercise and dad can take over some morning routine duties so mom can have that moment alone for some mental clarity before starting her day.

Run some errands: Dad can pick up some things off the grocery list so mom doesn’t have to worry about it later or run any errands that would give mom less time to be productive. Moms can sometimes pack up their schedule and one less errand is always a win.

Emotional wellbeing checks: Working from home can be very isolating for moms sometimes, not being able to have co worker friends or interaction with humans that aren’t children all day. Checking in with her to make sure she is okay, that her load isn’t to heavy or seeing if she has anything she needs to vent about whether it be work related or day to day related. Checking in will show her you are paying attention to what her day to day looks like so she doesn’t feel unnoticed in all her efforts.

Celebrate her accomplishments: Dads can make sure to acknowledge when mom has accomplished something at work or overcame a struggle at home with her day to day management. Make a big deal of it even if its something small. For her it could be a big deal and her family acknowledging her will keep her spirits up and keep her motivated. Also support all of her goals and let her know they don’t just have to be dreams let her know she is capable of completing them and that she has your full support through it all.

Encourage breaks: Remind her to take her breaks and to not skip over them, and remind her to make her free time count. Its easy for moms to push off their needs for their kids so most stay at home moms use their breaks or free time to do something for them. Encourage her to eat well and prioritize her mental health as well.

Dads obviously have their own work load, responsibilities or tasks that they have to handle daily so i wanted to share a few simple ways for them to feel helpful and included while mom is working, sometimes moms can make it look like they have everything under control when it comes to work, taking care of the kids and home life but its important for dads to still check in and make sure mom isn’t needing any added support as she juggles it all. Once everything is sorted out and everyone’s needs are being met in a way that works best for the family the dynamic can be very beautiful. Moms can do it all and they can do it even better with dads support.