[colordrops]

> they would try to talk to me and I'd say "I'm working. not right now." Then it becomes ambiguous whether they can talk to me or not. Not good for kids IMO.

Ugh, I do this all the time and didn't think about how bad it is. A gut punch, but glad I'm now conscious of it.

[dougmwne]

I'm honestly not sure why that's a gut punch? I grew up with a work from home parent. There was nothing particularly confusing about it and if anything, it taught me to respect the attention-space of others from an early age. Make sure to set up consistent visual signals of what working looks like such as a closed door and be consistent in explaining that you're in your work-zone. When work is done, then be present to your family and leave the laptop in the home office.

[srtjstjsj]

Some people feel the need to baby children when they are nearby, but are comfortable ignoring then when they are away, instead of actually being their all day or teaching the child a balance including self-reliance.

[devmunchies]

A very holier-than-thou, assuming comment.

Just because I go to an office doesn’t mean I baby them or don’t teach self-reliance.

> instead of actually being there all day

Most parents aren’t present, even if they are in the same room.

[spdionis]

> A very holier-than-thou, assuming comment

> Most parents aren’t present, even if they are in the same room

Seems like you're probably not aware of the irony.

[jxramos]

Exactly, I was thinking about how a visual sign could communicate the idea well. I have to work from my living room shared with a bunch of other individuals at home. It gets pretty nutty at times. I might repurpose some old desk nick-knack thing to be my now-working sign post.

[dougmwne]

That's a good idea. Maybe a desk lamp that gets turned on? Think about how you dress as well. Clothing is an excellent signaler. Consider rearranging the furniture to create a barrier between your desk and the rest of the room. Those folding standup room dividers are like $100 on Amazon in a variety of styles and you can hide it in the closet after hours if you are short on room.

[jxramos]

Yah, that's what we wound up doing spontaneously today when something spilled in the kitchen this morning. We have a kitchen island on wheels, I wound up rolling it out of the kitchen out of the way and wound up just continuing on over and creating a side wing/short wall next to my seat and keyboard tray. So far so good.

[seanhandley]

I use a remote-controlled LED light so it goes red like a recording studio. They're really inexpensive to buy online.