Dear Jasminda,
My son doesn’t want to go back to school, even though it is only one day a week. He said he’d rather be home-schooled. The problem is I am getting no work done and feel I need to send him back so I can get in at least one productive day in a week.

Mrs LF, Corlette

Dear Mrs LF,
For the past few weeks our family has been, like many others, attempting to balance working from home, home schooling and home duties, but there is basically no delineation between any of them. Each day is just one long blur of trying to remember passwords for Microsoft Teams, staring into the fridge, ignoring phones, Zoom meetings, tantrums, refusing to get out of bed, annoying playlists . . . and that is just the adults. Add a couple of kids to the mix and there is no hope of achieving anything.

I mean, today I was supposed to be doing copy edits, but instead I was learning the periodic table and Year 10 Algebra. I wasn’t good at these things in High School, and I’m definitely no better now.

I completely understand how you feel, and although little Sonny Jim enjoys being at home, one day a week will benefit you, even if it is just a matter of reducing the number of dishwashing loads from three to one and actually getting through an entire yoga session without being interrupted by queries about protons and hyperbole examples.

Being apart makes the heart grow fonder and that is particularly true with parents and children. It is just not natural to have the darlings underfoot all day every day, and from what my friends and I have discovered, we have very little understanding of the curriculum and zero ability to teach it, so having your son at home may actually be stunting his potential.

All the best with it. Remember, we are all in the same boat.

Carpe diem, Jasminda.