How have you made career and family mesh??

[Judy Hamilton]

many if not most of you have careers outside of your homes and family

how have you balanced the work and family issues??
we all have ways of addressing the challengs life offers to our lives

When Shan and Kris were in grade school, i worked 11-7 shift
and had a college student sleep over, she arrived at 10PM as I was
out the door, and left at 8 i was coming in from work. She hleped them with a perhaps fixing Shannon's hair and with a bit of breakfast. Then i took them to school...it was a blessing to drop them off at school, telling them
"Remember, this is the best day of your life because Jesus lives big in YOU today!"

i wonder if they remember that oneliner??

This schedul was constant through Kris completeing High School.
When they were 14 and 16, the college gals were no longer needed. I
also chose to work IN Edmond, as opposed to a hospital i had been employed in OKC.. went back to work in the downtown OKC when Shan was in college

Anyway, would say bye to them in the morning.. go o bed, and be up
at 4pm and ready to support them in their after school activities

we alwys tried to eat the evening meal together, and except for
school activity interruptions..this was the norm

on week-en when working ..chruch friendwuld drop by and take Shannon and Kris to and from church..as nurses work 7 days/nights a week.. i was not able to be in church with them but every other sunday

now the computer is eating my letters again..so please excuse my typos!

I always made a place to be in church with Shannon and Kris on wednesday nights. This was sometimes not easy, however this was when their teen activiies and programs took place, and i felt an example was the best message i could offer them.

al this to say, that i have not advanced on the career ladder as most nurses my age..for example, to accept the responsibility of administration in nursing, interprets as time..lots of time spent at work

i felt the need to be free to clock out at the end of the shift..and refocus attention to parenting

this has been a journey..truthfully, 90% of the time
it has been an enjoyable journey

i find myself now, in the autumn of my career..grateful for the energy, desire,and ability to work

and am even more graeful for a career that has alloed this single mom to be there most of the time, physically be there to support Shannon and Kris, to monitor them during impulsive years as teens and to participate somewhat in their spiritual maturily

here is an artilcle of a person i admire

and the reason for this post

She is a high profile person who placed importance on the welll being of her son

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9756476/site/newsweek/


Judy

[Barbara Moulton]

I was so blessed when my children were young, to be in ministry with Carl as an associate. The salary was split down the middle and we simply worked our lives around the girls. If I had to be out, Carl was home and vice versa. We used a babysitter of course, but no more than most couples.

The nice thing about ministry (if you allow it) is its flexibility. Carl was able to do things with the girls (go on school class trips etc) which most fathers working at full time jobs could not do.

When the kids were a little older, we were in a church that only employed Carl. I took part-time work with flexible hours. I didn't start working full-time until Leisha (the youngest) was about 12. That was the toughest period of my life.

I have perfect balance in my life right now. Part-time employment as a chaplain (a job I love), time to help Carl in the church and time to enjoy my family and home. Lindsay is pretty well moved out but Leisha still comes home every other weekend and during the summer.

Long story short....I meshed career and family by adjusting my life at the different stages of my childrens' lives. But I recognize how blessed I was to be able to do this. Not every woman can.

[Dana Grant]

A few years before we had children, I stopped working full time in preparation for being a stay-at-home mother. Of course, having a child seemed to be out of the question for some reason. I had chosen a career that would allow me to be at home with our children whenever necessary, and it was looking like the career I chose was heading in the direction where people could work at home, and that was my ultimate goal.

In the end, God did allow us to have our hearts' desire, and Tyler was born! That's when I started putting my career's flexibility to the test, for sure!! For the first 4 years of Tyler's life I worked weekends so that Bert could be with Tyler when I was at work. Then in 1989 I was able to start my own transcription business and I've pretty much been at home ever since. I have worked nights at the hospital, but mostly weekends. I tried working 3rd shift for a year or two, but that was just too hard on me with having a young toddler (Lindsey) at home that needed my care during the day......

I continued to work nights, but mostly at home. Then I started homeschooling. Now THAT has been a challenge to balance homeschooling and the business. But somehow I did -- I don't know how, but I did!! LOL

Now that Lindsey is in high school (still at home), we share an office and I can work at the same time she works on her school work. I am right next to her when she needs help (her actual class work is on DVD these days), and I'm right there when it's time to give tests, etc. It works perfectly!

I have been so thankful that I've never had to look for a job since 1978. I've been on ONE interview since then -- when we moved to Tennessee for 18 months, I interviewed at the hospital for a part-time job........here's how it went......

I interviewed with the medical director of the laboratory at the hospital, and he was very impressed with my resume, but there was only full-time position available at that point, and he was sorry that I didn't want to work full time; I only wanted to work 24 hours a week. So I thanked him and left, thinking I would just keep looking.

Well, it ended up that he called the lab in the hospital in Tucson where I had worked. He spoke with one of the Tucson pathologists and asked about me. The Tucson doctor told him that they would not be sorry if they hired me even for part time -- he told the TN doctor that I would probably produce more work in 24 hours than most people would in 40 hours.....LOL He actually explained that I wanted to stay at home with my son, even went on to tell him that we'd wanted children for a long time, etc., etc. Really laid it on thick!! LOL......So, the TN doc called and offered me the job.....LOL Not only did I get hired for 24 hours/week, but I got to pick my hours!! It was great!

I've always thought it was funny how people say that I "sacrificed" over the years so that I could be with my kids. I have no doubt that I would be in an administrative position of some kind if I hadn't had children. However, that has not been a sacrifice. I was so blessed to have these children, and I have considered it a privilege to be able to work at something I love doing and still be a full-time mother, as well. There is nothing in the world that I have loved more than raising my children. I didn't sacrifice ANYTHING!!