here we go again...

[kitchendevil]

read this with a heavy heart. AIBU to think we don't need research like this? (even though I secretly agree with some of it?)
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/2009/11/the-mother-of-all-paradoxes/

www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/2009/11/the-mother-of-all-paradoxes/

I knew I couldn't go back to my job after mat leave. But it wasn't for any of the reasons listed in that article. My job was quite simply not compatible with having a baby. Long hours, excessive travel, having to take work home every day & the weekends. THat was for a firm that trots out trite little lines about 'work-life balance'. My favourite manager there admitted that her mum raised her kids, because she just had too much work.
I think THAT is the issue that really needs adressing. Use and abuse of staff by employers. Careers being incompatible with having a family. And tbh, I think that goes for men as well as women. At the moment, women lose out career wise, because they (generally speaking) are the ones who have to pack in the career when they have a child. I think PARENTS have a right to be able to have a career and see their children.

I agree with Queen re the hours - I have 2 DS's who are at school 9-3, DH works away so I have to be there to drop them off and pick them up.

I have just got a job in a school, hours flexible and term time only which is absolutely perfect for me, but unless you are a teacher there's not that many jobs with those hours around.

And the pay reflects the hours!

ARGHHHH!

"unless you are a teacher there's not that many jobs with those hours around"

I'd be careful saying that around school if I were you!

I get up at 5.45am weekdays (the dusting/laundry/ironing still needs doing at some point!), we leave the house at 7.20am. After dropping everyone off I get to school at 7.55am. I leave school at 5.10pm, I pick the others up on the way home and we walk through the door at 6pm. When the children have gone to bed I work from 8 - 10/11pm.

At the weekend I work from 6am - 9am on Saturday and all day Sunday.

My children still have to go to childcare during the holidays because I spend 3 days solidly planning for the next half term and updating trackers, completing paperwork etc. and at least 2 days in the classroom preparing for the next half term.

At least your pay reflects your hours!

sometimes I really hanker for my old 9-5!

Crazycat- I'm on mat leave but I'm dreading returning to school for the reasons you've stated. I'd love to go back part time but not sure we can afford it

Parandoid - i empathise with you completely. I'd love to go p/t at some point. The key is to get yourself into a routine and stick to it. Our lives are like 1 giant game of Tetris and run with military precision.

Everything is timetabled - our children's activities, the housework, we have a menu set up for dinner.

Bizarely, this gives us (some) scope to relax and enjoy ourselves (so long as it is at the allocated times! )

crazycat, how does your dinner menu work? I'm intrigued...

Hey, well we have a half termly rota - which changes depending on the season. We always have simple meals (e.g. pasta and homemade frozen tomato sauce/frozen homemade pizza) on the days when the children have evening activities (Wed/Thurs) because they're the days we have the least time to cook/wash up.

During each half term holiday, my husband cooks up batches of bolognaise, cottage pie and chilli and freezes enough for us to have one meal of each every week during the half term.

On Friday, my husband always cooks from scratch and we have a roast dinner every Sunday. Monday night's dinner is Sunday's left overs!

It all sounds a bit regimented, but we found that before this, we ended up spending a fortune on takeaways or didn't eat anything at all ourselves.

Ideally, I'd cook fresh from scratch every night, but as that isn't possible this is the next best thing!

Hey, well we have a half termly rota - which changes depending on the season. We always have simple meals (e.g. pasta and homemade frozen tomato sauce/frozen homemade pizza) on the days when the children have evening activities (Wed/Thurs) because they're the days we have the least time to cook/wash up.

During each half term holiday, my husband cooks up batches of bolognaise, cottage pie and chilli and freezes enough for us to have one meal of each every week during the half term.

On Friday, my husband always cooks from scratch and we have a roast dinner every Sunday. Monday night's dinner is Sunday's left overs!

It all sounds a bit regimented, but we found that before this, we ended up spending a fortune on takeaways or didn't eat anything at all ourselves.

Ideally, I'd cook fresh from scratch every night, but as that isn't possible this is the next best thing!