Parenting from the Laptop and the Heart: How Trampoline Parks in Illinois Gave Me Back My Sanity

It started with the hallway. That narrow stretch between the kitchen and the work desk - once harmless - turned into a storm path. My child sprinted down it for the fifth time in one hour, yelling something about a cereal sword. Meanwhile, I was mid-pitch, trying to sound like I hadn’t just stepped on a rogue crayon. I wasn't tired from lack of sleep. I was tired of holding the whole house's energy together . Working from home with a child isn't just a balancing act - it's a silent saturation of your mind, body, and nervous system . And no one tells you that until it’s already too loud inside you. When the House Stops Breathing Children are motion. Work is stillness. And when both live in the same four walls, something sacred begins to compress. You stop stepping outside. You start whispering instead of laughing. Even play becomes something to “manage.” There’s no room for tension to evaporate, no outlet for your child’s growing energy, and no space where you are...