Our job at the parents and caregivers IBRG is not only to normalize being a parent and create safe spaces where people can talk about what it's like to be a parent, but also to create opportunities and advocate for policy at the company.
For all the talk from employers who claim to understand the needs of working parents, childcare benefits remain elusive in many workplaces. Surveys have repeatedly shown that employees strongly value these benefits, which can run the gamut from childcare subsidies to backup care options. As working parents have demanded more from their employers, these perks have grown in popularity in certain workplaces, alongside more generous parental leave policies. But the companies that offer childcare benefits are still in the minority.
Chimnaz Shahbazzade was relieved to secure a last-minute spot in a community-based childcare program for her daughter yesterday morning, as the San Francisco educators' strike continued with no end date in sight. It means she will have someone minding her 5-year-old for the foreseeable future. With public schools closed, the single mother, who works full-time as a lawyer, had no choice but to bring her daughter to work on Monday. "It was really, really difficult for me to take care of my child," Shahbazzade said, adding that with her daughter around, she did not get much work done.
I am a new mom to a very sweet 3-month-old boy. I am lucky to work somewhere with a very generous (for the U.S.) parental leave policy, and am preparing to go back to work when my baby will be 4 months old. I'm looking into childcare options, and feel torn. In our area, daycare is very expensive (everything is expensive), and hiring a nanny will be more affordable. This is very surprising to me, but that's how the numbers seem to be working out.
I handle day care drop-off most mornings, which is at 8 a.m. The timing makes it hard for me to catch the ideal 8:20 a.m. train, which gets me to the office just after 9 a.m. - when everything runs on time. The day care is 4.5 miles away from the train station, where parking is first-come, first-served, and finding a spot can sometimes turn into its own adventure.
Between end-of-year work deadlines, school programs, holiday parties, and the emotional marathon of family gatherings, December often feels like one long sprint. And don't get me started on moving that darn little elf. There have been nights I've woken up in a cold sweat thinking, "I forgot to move the elf!" Let's just say that bringing the holiday magic comes with a price for parents.
Just a few months ago, I wrote about how lucky I felt. My husband is a firefighter with long shifts (and overtime), and I'm a morning radio personality who wakes up hours before the sun rises. Though our work schedules can be difficult, we have a village that includes both my mother and my in-laws, and not only are they close by, but they're also dependable.
A busy working mom, played by Sarah Snook, rings the bell of a house to pick up her 5-year-old son from an after-school play date. Her son is not there. Neither is the other boy. And the befuddled homeowner has no clue what is going on. Confusion turns to panic, then fear that her son has been kidnapped. Revealed over eight episodes are the sordid secrets of one of the most dysfunctional extended families in narrative history.
Currently have an almost 11 week old girl. While it's not quite time to start any sort of sleep scheduling / training, what I don't understand is why the universal recommendation is to get the children sleeping from 7pm to 7am. I understand that it is important for them to get that much sleep, but the specific hours don't quite make sense, especially for working parents.
It's a random Tuesday in October, and your kids are home again. A national holiday? Nope. A snow day. Not even a speck of frost on the ground. It's Professional Development Day or Parent-Teacher Conference Half Day or one of the 15 other noninstructional days that appear in the school calendar like little landmines for anyone with a full-time job.
I've spent the last year working a full-time corporate job in Human Resources for a Fortune 500 company while caring for my one year old son simultaneously. No sitter, no help. We can't afford daycare, and this is the only way it's been possible for me to remain the primary breadwinner because my husband works outside the house and we don't have family nearby.
