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Office Space, Kids and the Home Office Space |
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Moms everywhere have went back into the work force. The way they have done it is with a home office space. Many mothers are now either running their own business or telecommuting from a home office space. This allows these women to earn an income and still spend time with their children. Yet sometimes children and the home office space do not mix. Here are some ideas to help deal with kids in the home office space.
Nothing can screw up a deal faster than the client hearing children running and screaming in the background. It happens every day. The phone rings just as world war three breaks out between the children. A little trick is to keep a phone bag in the office space. A phone bag is a goodie bag full of neat little, quiet toys the kids are only allowed to play with when the phone rings. You can teach the children that during phone calls they need to be quiet. The phone bag will give them something to look forward to when they hear the phone in the office space ring. As soon as the phone call is over the bag gets put up. Change the toys every now and then or there won't be any surprises to look forward to when the calls come in.
Certain times the office space is just off limits. There are no excuses, it just is. You can make sure your kids know this with a sign. This can be a little plaque you hang on the door or maybe a bright colored tie hanging from the door knob. The children can be taught that if they stay out of the office space when they see the sign there will be a treat after the meeting is over. You can also set it up so that when the office space is off limits there is a fun activity they can only do doing this time. It may be crafts or a movie, as long as it is something quiet that allows them to entertain themselves until business is over.
Kids can be a great help in the home office space. They can sharpen pencils, shred unneeded paperwork, or even be taught to run the copy machine to help make copies. The more you include your child into your home office space the more they will realize how important it is to keep quiet when business is going on. The children will not feel neglected because of the business. They will want to help. This also teaches good business skills to the children because they see you working and know you are accomplishing something for them. The children will want an office space of their own. You may even find them re-organizing their rooms to play office.
The home office space can turn into a stressful place when the children are involved. It does not have to be this way. Teach them some tips on how to stay quiet while you are busy. Use the phone bag or other activity to keep the kids quiet during phone calls or meetings. Let them share in the experience by giving them small tasks to perform. The home office space will be enjoyed by everyone and the office will be less hectic. |
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