This might be your first full week of “at-home pandemic togetherness”. If this is the case, then you may need to think about “new” applications of etiquette with all of this family togetherness. That is the case in my household. Myself, my husband, college age child, and high school age child are all working from home.
My oldest daughter began the first morning of her remote learning experience by video conferencing her class at full volume while my younger child was also “zooming” with her class, and my husband was on a conference call. Within seconds my husband reminded her she was not in her college dorm, strongly encouraged her to shut her door, put on earphones and be more respectful of others in the house. Subsequently, my younger daughter loudly came down the stairs to let me know that she was “starving” while I was on a call. We’ve had a few more mishaps like that throughout the day but after a brief huddle we established some family-at-home pandemic togetherness etiquette rules. They are based on these guiding principles:
- Communication – Let each other know what you plan on doing each day and if you need some type of assistance from one another. For instance, we told each other our tentative agenda for the day (conference call, “zooming” and when we plan on eating lunch). My older daughter said she had back-to-back classes and asked if we could make her lunch to save her some time.
- Respect – Remember to be polite and courteous to one another. Use polite words when making requests, use your indoor voice, clean up after yourself, and give each other a little space. For example, in our house all video conferencing is done with earphones (if possible), and a closed door indicates “please do not disturb”.
- Kindness – Help one another. Ask people in your family how they are doing and if there is anything they need help with. Keep in mind that just listening can sometimes be a form of help. These are uncertain times and oftentimes problems cannot be solved, but instead managed.
- Humor – A good laugh is always helpful. Don’t be too hard on yourself, as this is temporary.
Stay healthy and try your best to enjoy each other’s company.
I would love to hear from you. I’m sure those with young children home are facing even more challenges. Let me know how your family is managing and I will share your tips – mannerations@comcast.net.