Because sometimes being a parent means doing what’s hard.
Posted in family life, modern families, mommy guilt, mothers and work on Nov 16th, 2011
So, here’s a quick quiz: What does the United States have in common with Swaziland, Liberia, and Papua New Guinea? I’ll wait. And no, it’s not because those nations’ governments have just named pizza a vegetable, as the U.S. Congress just has. Got an answer? If you were thinking that the U.S.’s maternity [...]
Posted in education, family life, mothers and work, school, summer, vacation on Aug 24th, 2011
Those of you who know me won’t be surprised to hear that I’ve entered my usual, hair-tearing, mid-to-late-August, why-is-summer-vacation-so-long phase of the summer. We’ve actually had a nice summer this year, even given that last year included our Disney vacation and this year we’re not doing much in the way of leaving town. The boys [...]
Posted in mothers and work, vacation on Feb 22nd, 2011
So I know I’ve been ever so slightly M.I.A. lately. I beg your indulgence, but a couple of things are going on. Kids, for one — it’s mid-winter break right now, which means I’m even more pulled between my double existence of stay-at-home mom, and work-at-home mom. Sometimes, seriously, I wish I was one or [...]
Posted in family finances, family life, fathers and work, modern families, mothers and work on Nov 8th, 2010
Well, here we are again. By “we” I mean my family; and by “here” I mean with one of us out of a job. Several years ago, my husband left a job that was literally sucking the life out of him (thanks to a bullying boss and a badly-run organization, he lost: 15 lbs. and [...]
Posted in mothers and work, sick days on Dec 15th, 2009
I’m going to make a major admission here: I’m not very good at being at home with my kids. I’m not looking for either condemnation or sympathy; it’s simply a fact of my personality. And knowing this fact for sure has been what’s made me able to create my working-and-family life “balance” (which I put [...]
Posted in family finances, mothers and work on Jun 1st, 2009
Last year, I wrote an article for American Baby magazine called “Can You Afford to Quit?” It’s a perennial subject for parenting magazines — how-to advice for making a smooth work-to-home transition. I remember when I got the assignment. On the phone, my editor and I batted around the details of what to include, and [...]
