Having a Blackberry or cell phone can be a very productive tool for your business, but at times my attention can be torn between my kids and cell phones. I use a Samsung Blackjack for work and personal use and my wife uses a Blackberry for work. Many times we find ourselves looking at the screen and reading email when our kids are trying to engage us in conversations. As a work at home dad, how do I draw the line between business and family time, when kids and cell phones, require attention?

Here are some work at home guidelines I try to use when mixing cell phones and kids:

1. Establish a routine for checking email on your device, and don’t tell children to go away or snap at them. I am addicted to email and my phone, so I try and limit it, to once every 30 minutes. It can be easy to cheat and carry the phone during playtime. This isn’t fair to either your business, or more important, your kids.

2. When you receive good or bad news from your business, share that with your children and tell them how it makes you feel. If I have a great day at work, I tell my kids what made me happy and got me excited. Share a story with them. If you lost a deal or had an upsetting email, use that experience too. But, try to limit emotional outbursts that children may think they caused. I have seen dad’s at the park swear and get upset and the children are watching during the outburst. Do the kids think they caused it?

3. Turn off your phone or move your phone during meal times. My kids deserve and need interaction during meals. It’s a fun family time to reflect on the day’s activities and to talk. Even if an important email is going to come at any second, it can wait a few minutes until the meal is over.

4. If you do have an important call or email that must get out, communicate with your kids. Tell them that you need to make an important call and that you will play with them for an equal amount of time. If your call is 10 minutes, devote 10 minutes of quality playtime. This will establish a fair expectation and seems to work well with my daughter. I have also utilized a fun decoy for my 2-year-old son that works great. I gave him an old cell phone and he thinks he’s on the phone too. I also purchased a kids cell phone at Walmart that makes some great annoying beeping sounds. Keeps him busy for a few minutes, and it lets me get my call out of the way.

If you have any other suggestions for managing your kids and cell phones while working at home, please share them with us.