[sc_embed_player_template1 fileurl="http://traffic.libsyn.com/headofacodfish/HCF007_CathyPart2.mp3"] Share this episode with a friend

This episode is Part 2 of my chat with Cathy, HQ of a family of 4. Her family unit includes 2 kids and a partner who is unable to be in the paid workforce at this point, and we talk about Parental admin, workplace relationships and leaving your child at the playground!

The Lowdown

– Family of 4 – 1 parent working part-time (3 days) – 1 parent not currently able to work (recovery from workplace injury) – 1 at school – 1 at kindy

2:44 What works well 3:16 Constant communication 3:26 OCD Organiser 3:40 Parental Admin 3:48 Notices from school, blogs to check 4:43 Pretty goldfishy week 5:06 Maintaining a rhythm 5:18 Grandparent around the corner 5:44 Those emergency days 5:50 New job and not sick leave balance and sick kids 6:46 Workplace culture around sick leave and kid related absences from work 8:06 Relationships in the workplace 8:26 What doesn't work well? 8:40 Once you develop your routines what works well 9:24 What are things going to look like when both parents are back in the paid workforce 9:40 How will it effect me 9:50 Less 'fat' built into the average day 10:12 Staying back to get work done will be harder 10:26 Juggling priorities 11:16 Reevaluating current role - less sustainable with more competition for time 11:35 Current role quite demanding 12:48 Currently quite well resourced 13:00 Family responsibilities well supported? 13:06 Rhetoric around balance and flexibility but how that is applied on the ground is different 13:36 Need to be very clear and assertive to achieve that flexibility 13:58 Taking time off when working part time 14:40 Need to have punched the clock on the agreed number of hours 14:55 Work relationships and how much personal information to reveal in order to gain understanding/flexibility 15:14 Need to feel comfortable and trusting to disclose family details 15:33 Distinct boundary between work and home 15:48 Workload creep when working part time - doing a full-time amount of work 17:24 How could your workplace be more supportive? 17:30 Hire more staff! 17:54 High-level principles are good but middle and lower management may not have the right authority to convert that into tangible actions 18:36 Organisational structures and who has the power 19:22 Funny or disastrous moments? 19:36 Leaving a child at the playground! 20:38 Packed lunch at home on the bench 21:15 Crazy hair day 21:37 I am the adult, I've got this covered! 22:20 "Mum you haven't strapped me in" 23:34 No man is left behind 24:26 Is family what you thought it would be? 24:32 Didn't have a clear idea 24:46 Knew it would be different from my mum's experience 24:52 Generation of women who had to stop work when engaged or married 25:22 I always knew I would be working beyond that point 25:34 Work aspirations instilled due to experiences 26:32 Parallel universes - work and idea of future children 27:36 Starting family later and impact on family size 28:00 Creating opportunities for children that I didn't have 28:08 Raising human beings that appreciate those opportunities 29:30 How we spend school us as children vs. our children 29:50 Getting that balance right 30:30 Generational difference with how much free time and how it is spent 31:12 Leaving hospital with a newborn 31:38 Where is the security checks and questionnaire? 31:51 Instincts kick in 31:56 Mothers group 32:18 How did we get here? 33:28 Experience with a second baby 33:48 Second babies more relaxed and 'go with the flow' 34:38 Understanding better that things are a phase that will blow over so you don't need to intervene as much 35:10 Breaking the boundaries with the first 36:04 Having friends with a bit older kids 36:26 Realistic consequences 37:26 Advice? 37:56 There is not right or wrong so choose the best fit for your family