Children and home computer. How to find a way out?

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Hey everyone!
I hope you're all doing well. I find myself in a situation where I'm looking for some advice and insights from those who may have experienced something similar. I'm a father of two wonderful children, and I work from home on my computer. The challenge I face is finding the right balance between work and play on the same computer. My kids often want to use the computer for their school assignments and entertainment, while I need it for my job. It's essential for me to be productive during working hours, but I also want to ensure that my children have access to educational resources and can enjoy some screen time responsibly.

I'd like to hear from parents or anyone who has faced a similar situation. How do you manage the shared use of a computer at home? Do you have any tips or strategies to create a balance between work and play? Are there specific software or tools that have helped you manage this effectively?

Your advice and experiences would be greatly appreciated. I want to ensure that my children have a positive and educational digital experience while still meeting my work responsibilities.

Thank you in advance for your answers!

I would not have your kids

I would not have your kids doing work on your business computer. Especially if it is one provided by your employer... it's likely against your company's policy if it is.

My suggestion would be to buy an inexpensive computer for your kids to use/share.

They have gotten pretty reasonable in price... even as low as around 200 for a laptop.

As far as sharing a computer.. you can have different account sign ins.. I'm sure you could keep certain files from being shared or accessible.

But.. ideally.. you don't have your kids on a computer you rely on for work. and work takes precedence.. always...

if it's a personal computer.. not your company's (which should never be shared).. you can allocate time outside your work hours for them to use it.. but it feels like the best idea is to get another set up for them to use.

I have never shared my work

I have never shared my work computer. I couldn't afford to take the risk of anything going wrong. The easiest solution is to buy a cheap computer for the kids ( in my case they got my cast-off when I needed a new one).

Check out all the nanny options that are already included with your computer. Then decide if you need to get something a bit stronger.

How old are they?

Cheap tablets can be found at

Cheap tablets can be found at Costco. I would not (and cannot) share my work-issued computer.

I do have a concern, however.

You said, "The challenge I face is finding the right balance between work and play on the same computer. My kids often want to use the computer for their school assignments and entertainment, while I need it for my job."

There should be no challenge here. "No" is a complete sentence.

You do your children no favors even allowing for any kind of discussion about them using your work computer during working hours. "No."

Being a parent isn't easy, but part of it is teaching our children how to accept disappointment and manage their emotions. Help them get used to hearing "No" because it's a useful skill for adulting.

I'm sure they are precious and darling and it's really hard to watch them get upset. But they are not fragile and they will be better people if they are taught to manage their emotions when they don't get what they want.

Separate your work computer

Separate your work computer from them. I got hit with viruses letting my kids share. Not worth the hassle. They just don't know. Get them cheap tablets to use, you can them take them away and have "currency" to use to get them to behave, do chores, reward them and any other ways to parent.