Great helpers

This respondent is an English teacher. She teaches children of all age groups – from the smallest to the largest. She has two children herself – a son (11) and a daughter (13). She has also lived abroad for many years, including a period of lockdown with her family in England. Now she lives and works in Prague.

With lockdowns and us being forced to stay at home, I learned to prioritize things. My family comes first, and I don’t consider work, even if I do it honestly, to be the most important thing in my life.

It was also an important moment for me to realise how independent my own children are, and I don’t have to do everything myself and can delegate responsibility in terms of housework etc. This realisation was a great help to me. 

I also benefited from the help of my colleagues at school. We were all a bit lost and knowing that I could share my work-related emotions with my colleagues was nice.

I also got into exercising more regularly because of covid, where I forced myself into the sport a little bit, but as a result I was happy for the movement.

I enjoyed my time with my family, and I believe they enjoyed their time with me as well. It was interesting to find out how they actually work when I’m not around them. And figuring out that I don’t have to do everything myself has actually made me feel better and I see my kids as great helpers.

You can do it if you really want to.

Date: September 2022
Organisation: INSTITUT INPRO