How to Manage Working Evening Shift With Kids

Working the evening shift can be a daunting task that requires balancing work, family expectations and rest. In homes where there are young kids, a parent will need to pay extra attention, as the little ones have more needs than older children. A study published in 2008 in the Work, Employment & Society journal revealed a close link between child behavioral problems and maternal shift work. Working the evening shift calls for a careful plan to cater for your children̵7;s emotional and physical needs. Without proper parental guidance, kids can develop behavioral problems. A parent needs to adhere to a simple and careful plan to balance home- and work-life efficiently.

Instructions

    • 1

      Negotiate a regular working shift with your employer. Roger R. Rosa and Michael J. Colligan of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advise non-standard shift workers to know their schedule ahead of time in order to plan their rest, leisure and family duties. When shifts are erratic, they disorganize your home schedule and sleep patterns. Negotiating a regular schedule enables you to plan your work-life and family duties. A proper plan will enable you to get home and rest well before your children wake up. Be sure to get plenty of rest during the day.

    • 2

      Plan your family activities carefully. Enlist the help of your spouse and older children on household chores. Their help will leave you with enough time for other activities. If you have a baby, plan your rest patterns during the day to coincide with his naps. Ensure that there is someone at home to mind the baby before you leave for work. Set out the things your children will need to save time in the morning. Spend the time you save to catch up with each other.

    • 3

      Ask your children about about their daily activities. Working an evening shift means you are not at home when your children arrive and throughout the evening when they eat dinner, bathe, do their homework and prepare for bed. According to Jianghong Li, et al., in a 2012 literature review published by the Centre for Labour Market Research, a father working an evening shift has low levels of knowledge of his children̵7;s whereabouts as compared to when he works a day shift. Plan child care with your partner so that there is always one parent in charge. Spend quality time bonding with your children.

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