Parental leave, part-time: career killers?

[SuiGeneris]

Is taking parental leave in a professional City job career suicide? Have been in current role about a year, DCs start school and nursery in Sept and I am considering taking three weeks' parental leave between now and Christmas to deal with starting school, half term and early Christmas holidays. I am in a senior role with some direct reports, life would not stop while I am out. I am concerned that I would be seen as uncommitted, esp as we have a full-time nanny, so technically I do not need the time off, I would just like to be there with DCs.
Am also considering how to carve more time with DCs into the week: currently work from home one day a week, am thinking perhaps of going to 90pc and either finishing at midday one day or at 3pm on two days, difficult to know what would work. Don't really know anyone well enough in the office to discuss. Thoughts?

Well, firstly, I don't work in the city and so don't have direct experience but wrt to the first issue of parental leave, I would think 3/52 was perfectly fine and would/should not be long enough to impact negatively on your career - after all, people (senior employees included!) regularly take 2-3 weeks off as annual leave in one lump for a holiday.

As for reducing your hours to gain a better work/life balance in the long term, it's hard to say how that would impact on your career. There are some where it would undoubtably be seen as professional weakness and would set you back (grim but true) and in other areas/industries, it would be fine.

Has anyone set a precedent in your company or immediate professional circle or would you be a bit of a trailblazer?