rmrjmrgrl
working mommy in training 
Posts: 152
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Post by rmrjmrgrl on Nov 28, 2006 15:25:26 GMT -5
Anyone have a family-style home office, where parents are doing their work in the same place that kids do homework? This seems to be a new trend. We've been contacted by a reporter from the Wall Street Journal wanting to hear people's stories on this type of family office.
We'd love to hear your ideas on how it works for you. Families with working parents have said it helps them know what their children are doing at school and also provides a good place for family time.
BA
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iamsam
working mommy in training
Posts: 17
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Post by iamsam on Nov 28, 2006 19:04:04 GMT -5
Our home office is not tucked away in an extra bedroom or in the basement. Instead we converted our family room into our home office. It is the first room you see when you walk into our house. The office includes two desks and two computers. My 14 year old twin stepsons do their homework that involves the computer in our office with usually me or my husband sitting at the other computer. We will be getting caught up on email, checking headlines, taking care of our finances or checking out realworkingmom.com. My stepsons don't do all of their homework in the office mostly because of distractions. My 3 year old son's playroom is just off of the office so distractions are not hard to find. But all computer work is done in this room. We choose to set it up this way for several reasons. First and foremost we feel that teenagers and online activity should be conducted in an open area. There is also the fact that we simply can't afford for each child to have a computer in their bedroom. We also like to have reasons for the kids to come out of the rooms. Keeping the computer in an open area means we get to see them for more than just meals. This set up was worked really well in our home. We are able to keep an eye on the kids and their activity and it helps all of us stay in touch with each other even if it's just a little bit more. And let's face it, in todays busy and fast paced life even just a little bit is a lot.
Sam
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Post by Lois on Nov 28, 2006 19:58:53 GMT -5
My situation is a little different than Sam's because I have little ones. My two boys haven't started school so they aren't using the PC for homework yet. My home office is in our family room too. I work at home on Monday afternoons and my youngest is home with me. He naps for a while then plays in the family room while I'm working at my desk on my laptop. This affords me the opportunity to have time with him even though I have to work. I can get smiles and kisses on breaks. I also can work late some evenings while the boys play, which I wouldn't be able to do without the combination family room/office. I'm there when they need me but when they want to play independently I can quickly get some work done.
Lois
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rmrjmrgrl
working mommy in training
Posts: 152
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Post by rmrjmrgrl on Nov 28, 2006 22:16:05 GMT -5
Our home office is tucked under a corner in our great room. We have a wireless setup and laptops also. So, we watch tv, work, surf the net and everything in our family room. My son is three years old so we don't have "homework" yet. But, we do tons of Google image searches on his favorite animals and we work on letter recognition with the laptop keyboard. So, our office & computer is integrated into our family room and family life.
Beth Ann
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Post by Mrs. D. on Nov 29, 2006 13:19:33 GMT -5
We had this growing up as well. It was set up in the living/dining room. The computer was there and my parents would do book work, etc. there (home business), and we kids could do homework at the table.
Now our home office is in a small bedroom. It contains two desks, two computers, book shelves, filing cabinets, etc. Possibly is a little too cozy but it works!
MrsD
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