How do I tell my parents that I want to work remotely?

I'd just show them concretely how it's going to work for you - like that you'll be in the office on fixed days, you have clear working hours and you're just as reachable as anyone else. Maybe it helps if you mention that you can work more focused that way because you have less distraction and don't have to commute daily, which also saves time. In 2026 remote work is totally normal anyway, lots of big companies do it that way and it's actually a sign that your employer trusts you. If they're still skeptical, you could suggest that you just try it and they'll see that your work doesn't suffer - quite the opposite.

It was similar for me in retail - my parents thought I was just sitting around doing nothing when I wasn't physically in the store. Then I just showed them a normal workday: email correspondence with suppliers, inventory planning, managing online orders - basically all the stuff I can do just as well or even better from home because there's less distraction. That helped more than 100 explanations. Maybe you could do something similar: list specific tasks you handle remotely, and explain that the 3 office days are mostly for meetings and in-person coordination.

The thing is, your parents probably still think remote work means you're just hanging around in your pajamas all day. You could just walk them through a normal day for you - getting up at the same time, logging in, meetings, breaks, clocking out. In welding, you can tell right away if someone isn't focused; it's the same in a home office, except your boss doesn't see you. That doesn't make the work any less valuable, and honestly, I'm often more productive at home because I can concentrate better.

Don't try to convince your parents by showing them a complete workday - it comes across as too staged and will just confirm their suspicions! What's way more important is making it clear to them that with three days in the office and two days working from home, you're not actually abandoning the classic employee image, you're just becoming more flexible. Tell them casually that your productivity at home is often even higher because you get distracted less and get into a better flow - your parents, no matter what generation they are, will totally get that! And honestly, once they see that you're handling it just fine and your work is getting done, their concerns will sort themselves out.