Comments on: How do you combine a career and a kid and stay sane?

By: Semantically driven: blogging about blogging, parenting and living in Australia. » How to combine a career and a kid and stay sane - Part 2

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 10:46:26 +0000

[...] part 1 of ‘How to combine a career and kid and a kid and stay sane‘ I focused a bit on the work and the daily routine aspect and said I’d talk about the [...]

By: Megan from Imaginif

Megan from Imaginif — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 21:16:37 +0000

Hey Jen
I wish I had the answer when my kids were little. I ended up employing a nanny because I couldn’t stand going to work already stressed.

We are a child focused business model. My daughter is about to have a baby and is coming to work for us. We have purchased a washing machine for nappies, a baby monitor so she can hear when baby is awake and we understand that we will all have to pitch in to cover her role when baby is feeding or being a baby (crying).

The other therapist also has kids at school so we take it in turns to pick the kids up from school and bring them back to the office.

We love our business model. It is unconventional by usual business model measures but we excel at what we do, all work full time and manage the work/life balance as we want, not as an employer wants (well, I am the principal so I guess my policies and ethics around work and family have helped there). I think that because we are small and a private enterprise that we can be more creative. However, if we were huge, I’d still endeavor to operate the same model.

Great posts and thanks for sending it into the Carnival of Australia.

By: Jen

Jen — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 01:18:22 +0000

Jeanie, fingers crossed. Working half time would be ideal if there were enough money coming in from other sources to make it viable. Good luck for tomorrow.

By: jeanie

jeanie — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 23:46:27 +0000

Well, I have too much balance the other way some days. As I freelance and work for myself, it is either feast or famine.

However, tomorrow I have an interview for a 0.5 real job with holiday pay and other luxuries - and I truly hope I have a shot.

By: Jen

Jen — Sat, 31 May 2008 06:56:36 +0000

Becky, that’s bad luck they won’t accommodate you. Keep at em if you haven’t left already.

By: becky

becky — Fri, 30 May 2008 23:13:37 +0000

i am going through this right now. i want to work part-time. my employer is supposed to promote work/life balance, but they refuse to find me a part-time position. i requested job sharing, which was also denied. so i’m forced to quit and give up tremendous insurance benefits because i don’t want to work full-time outside the home. (i will be working, it’ll just be freelance stuff instead.)

By: Jayne

Jayne — Thu, 29 May 2008 12:42:10 +0000

At one stage I was working double shifts 7 days per week (nursing) but,while I was coping, The Tribe, and more specifically Feral Beast, wasn’t. I had to drop a lot of shifts, which didn’t go down too well with the CEO/DON of the hosp and she gave me a lot of stick over it but in the end it’s what I had to do to rescue everyone’s sanity

By: Jen

Jen — Wed, 28 May 2008 23:38:06 +0000

Suze, I don’t know that I have the magical answer, but if you can I’d really recommend dropping back 1 or 2 days a fortnight. Easier said than done depending on the job and finances I know. Sounds like you need a new job if you have no job satisfaction at all. I also know that’s easier said than done. Good luck!

By: Suze

Suze — Wed, 28 May 2008 12:59:42 +0000

What I wouldn’t give to be part time *sigh*.
Even 4 days a week sounds blissful. I don’t really get any job satisfaction at the moment, so I think that’s the real issue.
Although, a day a week just to draw breath would be great. The weekends are taken up with housework, ferrying teenagers to soccer games and part time jobs.
How to get some balance - I don’t know. If you know please tell - I’ll even pay you