Invasion of the Little People in Your Home Office

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When you work from a home office and you have children, you have to face the fact that children will find every opportunity to be around you. Kids can find a million and one ways to interrupt telephone conversations or distract you when you are trying to beat a deadline. It is a fact of life. While your children may seem like little devils, in actuality they just want to be a part of whatever you're doing.

Try as they might, kids cannot resist their parents' desk with all those drawers overflowing with your cool stuff. Favorite pens are irresistible treasures disappearing faster than Halloween candy . Postage stamps, especially the expensive ones meant for bigger parcels, become sought-after "stickers" turning up on books, walls, and stuffed animals. In the minds' eye of a child, what's theirs is theirs and what's yours is theirs.

Don't rip your hair out ”you can get a handle on this. Children feel better when they have a little structure and when they know what the rules are. If you have any doubt about this, watch how children play together and you will see that rules and consequences are a big part of their play. Times may have changed, but children still love to play teacher or policeman. Listen and you will hear someone getting into trouble for breaking the rules.

60 Seconds with Rhonda Levy

Rhonda works part-time from her home office handling medical billing and account receivables for her husband's podiatric practice. The flexibility of her schedule allows her to pursue her passion for tennis and to be very active in her children's lives. While she loves working from a home office and being available to her two children, it is sometimes a challenge to keep them out of her work and from touching her desk. Seeing the humor in it, Rhonda adds, "Threats and bribes do work wonders. I can only imagine when they're adults and how they might treat me when I'm around their important papers."

Now that we all understand that children can wreck your desk faster than a pack of raccoons, here are a few quick suggestions to keep you sane:

Designate a Kid's Work Drawer

Kids love to pretend they are grown-ups. Pick a drawer in your desk or in your filing cabinet that is their drawer. It is a good idea to pick a low drawer that a child can reach safely and independently. Don't fill it with your children's things because that's not what they are after. Fill the drawer with the things you don't need anymore, such as:

Old stationery, envelopes, and business cards

Mailing stickers and labels

Out-of-service cell phones and beepers

Notepads

Plus, fill a shoebox filled with crayons, washable markers, and kid-proof scissors

Write this down

Filing cabinets can topple over if more than one drawer is open at a time. Never allow your child to stand in a drawer no matter how low to the floor it is. Consider anchoring it to the wall for the children's safety and in the event that you live in an earthquake region.

Designate a Sacred Drawer

This drawer is to be yours and yours alone. You are probably thinking that this is the one drawer your children will not be able to resist. There are a few options to choose from: You could put a lock on it or you could help your children to understand that this drawer is off-limits. If you let your children help to set up their own work drawer, they will be more inclined to respect your wishes about keeping away from your drawers. Be positive when you talk with your children about these special drawers. Reward them when they respect your wishes and stay out of your drawers. Tell them how proud you are of them when they listen. Remember, your children love you and want more than anything to be part of your world. It is possible to peacefully co-exist in your home office with children.

Your business will dictate what goes in your drawer, but some things to put there are:

Scissors

Tape

Stapler/ staples

Favorite pens and markers

Ruler

Stationery, business cards

Blank CDs

Back-up files on CDs

Phone book

Cell phone

Checkbook

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