Because of the Coronavirus, many employees have quickly transitioned into work-from-home staff. Seems like no problem, right? Not exactly. Let’s just say if you’re a parent, things are going to be a little more, uh, challenging.
Just ask political analyst, Robert Kelly, how difficult it is to work from home at times. Back in 2017, he was being video-interviewed by BBC from his home office when he began to experience a series of hilarious interruptions that all occurred in a short period of time.
It all started when his 4-year-old daughter, Marion, busted into the room to see what her daddy was up to. Kelly tried to play it as cool as possible. He kept his eyes on the interviewer, tried his hardest to control his awkward grin, and lightly pushed his daughter away. But she didn’t get the hint in time.
With the door wide open, 9-month-old James quickly rolled in, in his baby walker. Seconds later, Kelly’s wife, Kim Jung-a, dashed into the room like Superwoman to grab James and Marion as quickly as she could.
“Pardon me. My apologies,” an embarrassed Kelly said as his wife gathered their two rambunctious kids and exited.
A year after the incident, Kelly discussed the scene in greater detail.
“On March 11, 2017, I was interviewed at home on the BBC’s World News program about the impeachment of South Korean President Park Geun-hye,” Kelly said. “My two young children broke into my home office while I was live on air. My wife then careered into the office to pull them out. It was all captured live on global satellite TV, and the video of the blooper quickly went viral. I acquired a new moniker, one I will likely carry with me for the rest of my life: ‘BBC Dad.’”
But viewers still had questions. Was the whole thing staged? Why didn’t Kelly just get up, round up his kids, and close the door?
“…I did not stand up because I was not wearing pants,” he joked. In reality, he was wearing pants but didn’t want to stand up because he thought he’d be perceived as unprofessional.
Fortunately, many other parents could relate.
“Many of the comments we received were from parents who had had similar experiences, such as locking themselves in the bathroom so their kids could not interrupt a radio interview. These reactions were positive and empathetic. We were very moved by them.”
It may have occurred three years ago, but this little ordeal is still all too relatable now that many of us are working from home. A crying infant while you’re in the middle of typing a long e-mail, arguing teens while you’re talking on the phone with your boss, or even your dog trying to get you to play fetch while you’re in the middle of a Skype meeting with your co-workers: do any of these sound a little familiar?
Life doesn’t stop. Our family is still our family, and our pets are still our pets. They may drive us crazy while we’re trying to concentrate on work and remain professional, but in the end, we love them just the same! And, really, our bosses and co-workers can’t get mad at us for the unexpected moments that occur in our households. We’re all just human.
Check out the recent interview with Robert (aka BBC dad) and his lovely family:
And if you missed it the first time, here’s the side-splitting original:
