My life is downright manic which is reflected in the irregularity of postings lately. (Sorry about that.) Manic as in frenzied times on the career front. The book, Mass Career Customization, launched during the past few weeks. You may recall the advice this blog community offered when we were trying to name this baby. I’ll tackle the topic of the travails of changing the way we think about how careers are built in a separate entry. For now, though, I’ll stick with manic.
These manic times have instigated an extended visit from an old nemesis, the guilt gods (for more on the guilt gods, check out Sick Day and A Teary September Morning). You see, I missed the first day of school; a trip to the orthodontist with my son (yep, it’s braces time); a field trip; days and days of homework (have you ever tried to help your kid with their algebra over the phone?); sleepy eyes in the morning; and lots of hugs. Minor misses? In the grand scheme of things, yes. Major angst? Yep.
But, alas, there is hope. Flipping through Business Week on (another) long flight recently, the title of a small piece caught my eye and calmed my concerns: “The Kids Are All Right.” It was so soothing that I thought about sending a thank you note to the writer, Michelle Conlin. Although I don’t know Michelle, she must be a working parent.
Michelle reports on a survey that finds, in essence, that working parents are harder on themselves when it comes to work and the quality of home life than their kids. The long and the short of it: it’s all relative to your point of reference. My interpretation is that we each bring our past experiences with us. For working parents, we take how we grew up — and for many of us that was with a stay-at-home mom. But our kids, who don’t have that experience, start with a fresher look at things. And I guess they don’t think things are so bad. It’s just the way that it is.
Not complete dispensation, but it does take the edge off a bit. Don’t ya think?
Cathy
By blogger Cathy Benko, Deloitte LLP
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