A Day in the Life of a Work-from-home Dad during School Holidays

9.15. Trying to work.

• “Dad I’m hungry”
• “You just finished breakfast.”
• “That was twenty minutes ago.”
• “Wait until 10.00, then you can have a snack”
• “BUT THAT’S AGES AWAY!”
• “Drink some water.”
• A door slams.

10.17. Trying to work.

• “Dad where’s the remote?”
• “You tell me.”
• “I’ve looked everywhere.”
• “Behind the TV?”
• “… except there … Oh, here it is. Thanks Dad … And Dad?”
• “Mm?”
• “I’m really hungry.”
• “You just ate 15 minutes ago.”
• “I’ve digested that already.”
• Grrrrrr.

11.52. Trying to work. The voice on the other end of my VOIP-phone conversation is suddenly garbled as Son A logs into his hotmail account…

• “Get off the internet!”
• “Sorry, Dad. By the way, I’m hungry.”

12.48. Trying to work. The file I’m looking for takes me twenty minutes to find, buried under chip packets, post-it notes with computer game cheat-codes and DVD covers – all on my desk. Sadly, the chip packets aren’t mine. 

1.31. Trying to work. Screams, tears, doors slamming.

• “What is going on here??!”
• Son B: “He hit me!”
• “Did you hit your brother?”
• Son A: “Yes.”
• Son B: “Four times!”
• Son A: “It was only 3 times.”
• “Ok, go to your room and come see me when you have a good way to make it up to your brother.”
• Son A (storming away): “Great! Wish I’d never had a brother!”
• Son B (now glaring at me): “Why’d you have to be so mean to him?”
• “…?”

2.58. “Dad I’m hungry”

3.17. Give up on trying to work; I’m not gettting anywhere anyway. 

• “Boys, wanna go play football?”
• “No thanks Dad, we’re busy.

Grrrrr.