Tag Archives: working parents

The Sitter Dilemma

I never knew the difficulties that would come along with having children. They’re not unmanagable and they’re not so strenuous that children should be avoided (because children are great) — they’re just stressful. The problem stems primarily from loving them so much. If you love them and you are responsible for them then you can’t just give them to someone for a certain period of time and hope for the best. No, there’s so much more involved. There are emotions and pacing the floor and headaches from thinking too much about it. Worry is the name of the game. You … Continue reading →

The End of the Day Blues

If you’re a parent who works outside the home, how do you deal with the end of the day with a preschooler? The end of the day is a rough sort of time, especially if your preschooler no longer naps. Perhaps you pick up your preschooler from relatives or from a child care center. Maybe your preschooler is at home with a nanny. You arrive home. The house is in various stages of disarray. Dinner needs to get on the table, likely half an hour before the present time. Your child is whining and needs you to undo her shoes, … Continue reading →

A Preschool Travel Trunk

Got luggage? This is the sort of baggage that you will want to carry around, or at least your preschooler will. I’m talking about the travel trunk. It’s a miniature suitcase that we use as a travel trunk. If we’re going on a long trip or I need to go to a meeting with my daughter, I bring it along. It’s not magic – there are still complaints if things get too boring. But it’s a useful addition to the parenting arsenal. Our mini suitcase is about a foot wide by half a foot tall. Inside, here’s what we have. … Continue reading →

Does Your Boss Have Kids?

If so, do you find that the status of “parent” makes him or her more sympathetic when your daycare calls demanding that you pick up your puking, feverish child NOW… and NOW is 10 a.m.? How does your boss react when you consistently leave the office at 4:30 on the dot to pick up your children from their after school program while the rest of your colleagues remain at the office until 6 or 7 p.m.? Does your boss feel your pain as you struggle to juggle career and family or does he or she resent your late mornings and … Continue reading →

Labor Day

I’ve observed that often every group of people imagines themselves to work harder than any other group. It might be husbands and wives, the so-called “mommy wars” between stay-at-home moms and working moms, kids who are jealous that their parents don’t have to study any more and parents who forget just how hard it is to be a kid sometimes. Sometimes it’s mothers who’ve adopted their children and mothers who’ve been pregnant and given birth to their children. I hear parents who’ve adopted their children bemoaning the paperwork, the many questions that sometimes feel intrusive, the lack of control, and … Continue reading →