by Jen Dalitz, TheSheEOblog.com
I think it's safe to say that every working parent has one thing in common: their career will never be quite the same once they enter the world of parenthood.
Whether you take an indefinite break after the arrival of your little cherub, or take extended leave, or return to work within a shorter time frame, there will be changes. It's as sure as the Tooth Fairy lobbing in unannounced on the loss of that first pearly incisor, despite never having whispered her existence. It. Will. Happen.
Perhaps the only advantage I had on my approach to parenthood was that I was already very comfortable with career chaos. Having been self-employed for six years "before child", I had a fair inkling of how to manage my time and my cashflow. Having my own consulting practise afforded the flexibility to choose the clients I worked with, at the times that I wanted. I even got to choose where I worked, most of the time, which was my home office whenever possible. It was a big shift from the rigid structure of the corporate career I'd left behind.
So you might think that working flexibly would make it easier to approach the kids-and-career-conundrum, but is that really the case?
The answer is probably yes, and no. In my consulting practise, meetings with clients were generally at times that they choose. Projects came along at times that suited their needs. And deadlines were the dates that they selected.
This clearly doesn't marry up to the child care centre model where the waiting lists are long, the daily rates are high and the options for varying the days of care are virtually non-existent.
It's not just business owners who face this dilemma: shift workers, casual workers, and those in seasonally affected sectors like retail and agriculture, are contending with this challenge.
It turns out flexible careers can be pretty hard to marry up with flexible child care options. Over the past six years I've wrangled long day care, in home care, au pairs, a pool of babysitters, before and after school care, and more recently, vacation care programs.
We've been blessed with finding quality care and love in abundance in each. But me oh my, the logistics can be a nightmare!
The trial to extend childcare rebates to in home care is long overdue, and will at least provide more options to those families who are working non-standard hours. Whether or not government support will be extended to all families is yet to be seen, however it's hard to argue that there isn't a need.
The alternative is to allow employees and business owners with young children to claim a tax deduction for what is probably the largest expense they will incur in earning their assessable income: the cost of care. But it seems no political party is willing to take this one on.
Since our son is now out of daycare and into the school system, I admit that any systemic changes in child care will have little direct impact on my family. But I can't help thinking what a relief it will be if the government finally got this right.
About the author
Jen Dalitz is a business strategist and change agent. Her expertise lies in getting people focused on what needs to be done, keeping them on track, and inspiring them to achieve more, with less. She is a speaker, mentor and writer on business life and leadership. Follow her musings at TheSheEOblog.com
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