Finding a balance between family and career.

[PrincessFiona]

I'd love to discuss ways to find this balance. For those of you who feel you have achieved this, how did you find this balance? For the rest of, what exactly are you struggling with the most and what steps are you taking to find that balance?

[PrincessFiona]

I meant to respond to this sooner.....

I feel like I'm in that tricky area where I'm trying to strike a balance. I'm not there yet, but I'm closer than I was even a couple of years ago. I enjoy that I am able to get out and work a few hours a week and that I'm finally eligible for some retirement benefits. I don't find that I am struggling from guilt anymore about taking the time for myself professionally. I know that in a few years all of my children will be in school and that if I don't keep up my skills I won't be marketable (at least not in my field).

I have definitely benefitted from an increase in self-confidence since starting this job. I feel stronger and more capable than I did before. I also like the fact that I am earning my spending money. I was able to enroll Amanda in her dance program because of my salary. Also, I've been able to buy myself creative memories 'musts' or even run by Kohls and pick up a sweater etc without touching our account. That feels good.

At the same time, I struggle with the fact that because I am on the 'mommy track' I don't generally get the same respect as my other female colleagues who have chosen to work full-time. I'm finding more peace with that slowly...at the end of the day, they are working harder here on the job and I have to accept that my lack of availability/flexibility makes me less desirable. I also don't have the same academic qualifications as my colleauges (I'm the only MS in a sea of PhD's) and I do have some issues personally with that because I don't have the automony and job security that I wish that I had sometimes.

kris