Tell Your Child to Be With You When You Start the Phone Call
If you’ve ever worked from home with a small child under your feet, you know it’s an unwritten rule: as soon as you answer an important phone call, your kids will spill something, hurt something, or just want SOMETHING from you. …
Even if you tell them – no, especially if you tell them – that “Mom / Dad will be busy for a while; if you need anything, you have to wait until I pick up the phone, ”you are doomed. All you did was get them to think about everything they absolutely needed in the next 30 minutes.
I’ve tried every screen, every snack, every bribe, and all sorts of hard looks. Some people are fans of the mute button, but I’m always a little wary of believing that my voice is definitely muffled before I yell across the room to stop jumping off the couch.
As a freelance writer and journalist, I have spent countless hours conducting telephone interviews. And during many of those hours, especially during the years when my son was at school full time, he was by my side, fighting for my attention. The main thing that helped me answer most of the calls: honesty. I tell the person on the other end of the line that he is with me.
“Hey, just so you know, before we start, I’m working from home today and my son is here with me,” I said. “He is three years old, so you can imagine that he might distract me from time to time, but we will be fine.”
More often than not, I would get a chuckle and, “Oh, I was there! I totally understand, no problem. ” Because everyone who is a parent at some point had to talk on the phone with a baby nearby, and he fully understood how difficult it was. And even if the person you are talking to is not a parent, he will still understand. (Or at least you warned them that this call might be a little annoying.)
So put it out there. You will get your job done and maybe get some sympathy too.