Categories: Work/Life

Remodeling Parenthood To Get The Lives We Want

Posted by: Lauren Young on October 07

What are the things your friends and family never told you about life as a Working Parent? Kristin Maschka, the past president and national spokesperson for Mothers & More, answers…

Why Jack Welch is Good for the Work-Life Debate

Posted by: Lauren Young on July 16

Does work-life balance exist? By now, you’ve probably gleaned that former General Electric (GE) chairman Jack Welch doesn’t think so. On June 28, during a speech at the Society for…

Workaholic Plouffe’s Work-Life Tips For Grads

Posted by: Lauren Young on May 26

Would you take career advice from a workaholic? Cornell University’s 2009 graduating class heard work-life tips from David Plouffe, President Barack Obama’s campaign manager. According to The Cornell Daily Sun,…

Take a Kid to Work Day—A Welcome Birthday Present

Posted by: Anne Newman on April 23

O.K., so a seminar on derivatives systems isn’t exactly what my son had in mind for his 11th birthday today. But he was thrilled when he discovered his birthday would…

“Take Our Daughters to Work Now!”

Posted by: Diane Brady on April 01

Here’s a guest post from Nell Merlino, an author and creator of Take Our Daughters (and now Sons) to Work Day: Women are on the verge of holding more jobs…

Work-Life Balance vs. Work-Life Integration

Posted by: Lauren Young on February 10

I wrote about the term work-life balance and whether or not it is a misnomer back in December. The truth is that when you look for balance, achieving it is…

It’s Quarter to Five, There’s No One in the Place Except Working Parents Online

Posted by: Cathy Arnst on December 13

It is 5 am on a Saturday morning, and I am on my computer, doing research for a story, cleaning up email, all the stuff that I didn’t get time…

Time Management for Parents

Posted by: Mauro Vaisman on September 28

Here I am. Sunday. The kids are going to bed, and I have to accomplish my last task of the week before I collapse into bed. Write this blog. It…

Great Escape? Leaving Work to Go To A Kid’s Game

Posted by: Lauren Young on September 26

This entry is written by BusinessWeek contributing editor Mark Hyman, who is the author of Until It Hurts (Beacon), a book about impact of parents, coaches and other adults on…

When Work-Life Balance Runs Amok

Posted by: Lauren Young on September 19

I, like many people in the financial world, have not seen much of my family this week. I hope they remember who I am. Most of the time, I do…

You lost your job! Should you tell your kids?

Posted by: Mauro Vaisman on September 16

As I read the news today about the thousands of people that are coming to work so they can pack their personal belongings, several things cross my mind—but at the…

The “I Was Busy Coming Up With An Excuse” Excuse

Posted by: Cathy Arnst on September 15

Over on BusinessWeek’s First Jobs blog, Lou Lavelle has a great post about the excuses people have used to explain absences from work or lateness. It’s from a Stanford School…

Oh, For the Perfect Home Office

Posted by: Karyn McCormack on August 22

This is written by Savita Iyer-Ahrestani, a freelance financial journalist who guest blogs for Working Parents every other Friday. It is a truth pretty much universally acknowledged that anyone who…

Vacations: Our “Ethical Obligation”

Posted by: Karyn McCormack on August 05

On my way to the McGraw-Hill Credit Union today, CNN was airing an interview with Bruce Weinstein, aka “The Ethics Guy,” about the ethics of taking vacations. In his BusinessWeek.com…

Going to the Dogs

Posted by: Lourdes Lee Valeriano on July 10

The New York Times, on the heels of the news last week that the late hotel queen Leona Helmsley left $8 billion in a charitable trust for the care and…

What Do Women Want? Choices.

Posted by: Cathy Arnst on July 02

With the 4th of July approaching, it’s a good time for working mothers in America to thank our founding fathers. They did us two great favors—they freed us from European…

The Opting-Out Myth

Posted by: Cathy Arnst on June 24

I love destroying popular memes with cold, hard facts. Take “Working Moms Opting Out.” Feature stories about professional women dropping out of the workforce to stay home with the kids…

Sex Ed and the City Teen

Posted by: Lourdes Lee Valeriano on June 17

One afternoon last week three girlfriends—all moms—and I got together for the guilty pleasure (see fellow blogger Cathy Arnst’s post) of watching the Sex and the City movie. As we…

Worst Working Mom—Part 2

Posted by: Cathy Arnst on June 03

Last week I inadvertently started a fire storm with my post Worst. Working. Mom. Ever. It was meant to give readers a chuckle by pointing to a lighthearted site where…

Worst. Working. Mom. Ever.

Posted by: Cathy Arnst on May 28

Feel like you’re letting your kids down, and your job, by trying to do ten things at once? Cheer up, you’re not alone. How much not alone? Check out the…

My Space on Mother’s Day

Posted by: Lourdes Lee Valeriano on May 13

For Mother’s Day, my daughter gave me pink and orange snapdragons, my favorite walnut sticky bun, and space—space in our busy lives to just hang out. In a gesture almost…

Time-Warner Cable Forgiven, Sort Of

Posted by: Cathy Arnst on May 13

Wow, the power of the blog! Last week, after a frustrating phone interaction with Time-Warner Cable, I complained on Working Parents about cable companies and other service providers that can…

Why I Hate Time-Warner Cable

Posted by: Cathy Arnst on May 07

It’s not just Time-Warner that I hate. It’s the phone company (any phone company), Con Edison, Sears, indeed any service organization that thinks the world has not moved beyond the…

Home For The Holidays

Posted by: Anne Tergesen on May 02

This is written by Savita Iyer-Ahrestani, a freelance financial journalist now living in The Netherlands who guest blogs for Working Parents every other Friday. Now that I’m a mother, I…

College Admissions: The Collateral Damage

Posted by: Lourdes Lee Valeriano on April 15

It’s been a high anxiety month for many families, and I’m not talking about the tax deadline. In the past few weeks, many colleges have been responding to freshman applications,…

The Time Excuse

Posted by: Cathy Arnst on April 09

Most of us working parents are addicted to the Time Excuse. You know: “I just cannot find the time to read/exercise/cook/clean/see friends/organize my desk yadda yadda yadda.” I use it…

“I’m Sorry, I Have to Work:” The Visible/Invisible Mom’s Tired Excuse

Posted by: Anne Tergesen on April 04

This is written by Savita Iyer-Ahrestani, a freelance financial journalist now living in The Netherlands who guest blogs for Working Parents. I saw the call coming in on my cell…

A Teen’s Life Packed Into a Lost Cell Phone

Posted by: Lourdes Lee Valeriano on April 02

Last month, before my daughter and I went away for spring break vacation, I blogged on teen travel safety. One thing I didn’t cover was cell phone security. Naturally, my…

The High Cost of Having a Job

Posted by: Sarah Davis on March 12

Recent financial worries led me to a surprising question: Does it make sense for both my husband and me to work? A little background: Five years ago, the aforementioned husband…

PARENTS WHO GIVE THEIR KIDS CHORES: A NEW MINORITY?

Posted by: Lourdes Lee Valeriano on March 04

After late school meeting a few weeks ago, a parent looked out at the stormy night and said with a mixture of sarcasm and resignation: “I wonder who’ll be walking…

MICHELLE OBAMA: A WORKING MOTHER IN THE WHITE HOUSE?

Posted by: Anne Tergesen on February 28

I’m still not sure which of the Presidential candidates I want to see in the White House next year. But as a working parent, I do know that I’d like…

PEELING AWAY THE PARENT LAYER

Posted by: Lourdes Lee Valeriano on February 19

It was at curriculum night for incoming freshmen at my daughter’s prospective high school that it hit me. Next fall she isn’t just moving to “Upper School,” she is entering…

THE CARTIER QUESTION

Posted by: Lourdes Lee Valeriano on February 06

At a private middle school athletic meet in New York, a girl ran to her parents with a predicament: The sports official wasn’t allowing her to race unless she took…

The Unbearable Lightness of Not Working

Posted by: Anne Tergesen on January 25

This is written by Savita Iyer-Ahrestani, a freelance financial journalist now living in The Netherlands who guest blogs for Working Parents every other Friday. Financial troubles at one of the…

A Weekend Retreat—From Technology

Posted by: Lourdes Lee Valeriano on January 22

On Martin Luther King weekend I went on retreat—from technology. By that I mean I did without TV, cell phone, and the Internet. That may seem like an odd thing…

A WORKING MOM’S DREAM BOSS

Posted by: Anne Tergesen on January 07

Nine years ago, Amy Dunkin hired me at BusinessWeek. At the time, I had a ten-month-old son and I wondered how I’d juggle my new role as a mom with…

OUR HOLIDAY SHOPPING GUIDE—#1

Posted by: Amy Dunkin on November 30

Most working parents can relate to the stress Anne feels at holiday time. (See her post below.) So much to do and buy, and as always, so little time. To…

WHAT’S THE FASTEST WAY TO GET TO CARNEGIE HALL? ON A CLASS TRIP.

Posted by: Amy Dunkin on November 28

Last night at 8 p.m., after a full day at the office, when the homework was finished, dinner was eaten, the dishes were done, and the kids had dispersed in…

HONORING A WONDERFUL LIFE

Posted by: Cathy Arnst on November 27

Sometimes it pays to step out of our crazy working parent lives and focus on The Things That Really Matter. That’s what I did a few weeks ago when I…

I WANT WHAT HARRY POTTER’S GOT

Posted by: Amy Dunkin on November 21

I just finished Book 4 of the Harry Potter series and I’m taking a breather before I plunge into the next 870-page tome. My sons aren’t quite Harry Potter fanatics…

FREELANCE AND THE FITNESS FACTOR

Posted by: Amy Dunkin on November 09

Savita Iyer is a freelance financial journalist now living in The Netherlands who frequently guest blogs for Working Parents. This is what I love the most about my freelance writing…

DON’T BLAME A SENIOR FOR ALL THOSE MOMENTS

Posted by: Amy Dunkin on November 06

I told my mother I was having a senior moment. She, a card-carrying senior, quickly set me straight. “We don’t say that,” she told me, the “we” presumably referring to…

TALKING POINT: BUSINESS MEALS

Posted by: Amy Dunkin on October 22

This week, the work/family columnists for The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal weighed in on the subject of business meals and how they cut into already limited…

FREE TIME? NOT WHEN HOMEWORK AND THE BLOCK ASSOCIATION DEMAND THEIR FAIR SHARE

Posted by: Anne Tergesen on October 18

Just when I thought I was finally on easy street—not only was I able to find time to program my iPod on Saturday, I actually read a few chapters of…

THE WORKING PARENTS POLITICAL AGENDA

Posted by: Lauren Young on October 17

It’s hard to believe the Working Parents blog will celebrate its second anniversary in January. While much of the fodder for our posts comes from our daily conversations “around the…

IT’S NOT JUST THE KIDS WHO NEED MORE SLEEP

Posted by: Amy Dunkin on October 16

Overheard in the office elevator this morning, one woman to another: “Sleep is going to be the new marketing tactic, because you age well when you sleep more. I’m going…

QUALITY TIME

Posted by: Amy Dunkin on October 11

I’ve written before about how in a family-friendly workplace, any day can be Take Our Children to Work Day. This week we had one of those days. Monday was Columbus…

NETWORKING: DO YOU MAKE THE TIME?

Posted by: Anne Tergesen on October 11

Like many working parents, I’ve become so used to prioritizing my family and job that I reflexively turn down invitations to do things for myself. I’m not into total self-denial:…

WORK. WHO CARES?

Posted by: Amy Dunkin on October 09

Savita Iyer is a freelance financial journalist who frequently guest blogs for Working Parents. I just took a month off my freelance writing career to move from the south of…

LIFE AFTER THE MOMMY TRACK

Posted by: Amy Dunkin on October 03

Most working parents would love to get off and on the fast track at will, depending on the ages of their children and the demands from home. But few jobs…

PARTY HOST PAR EXCELLENT

Posted by: Cathy Arnst on September 27

Think your life is overwhelming? The BBC reported on Tuesday about a British woman who was whipping up a dinner party when she took a break to give birth in…

WORK, WORK, WORK!!

Posted by: Anne Tergesen on September 27

Sometimes, I feel like a machine: the laundry, the blog, the email, the homework, the grocery shopping, the birthday party planning, the research reports-—and that’s just what I’ve done since…

THE RESULTS ARE IN

Posted by: Amy Dunkin on September 26

Big news around our company yesterday. Our employer, The McGraw-Hill Cos., was named to Working Mother magazine’s 100 Best List for the third year in a row, and this time,…

THE LIFELINE

Posted by: Amy Dunkin on September 19

I am not now or have ever been a big cell phone user. You will not see me sitting on the train, walking around the streets of New York, or…

MOMMY WARS? HOW ABOUT WAR ON MOMMIES

Posted by: Cathy Arnst on September 18

I recently read a great post about the silliness that is the so-called “mommy wars.” It’s from a blog that is well worth bookmarking, Time magazine’s Work In Progress, a…

WORKING PARENTS ON VACATION: CAMPING WITH BLACKBERRIES

Posted by: Anne Tergesen on September 06

Last week, we took our three boys and tents and went camping in Maine. We pitched our tents near the rocky shore of Blue Hill Bay, a spot so remote…

SCHOOL’S BACK

Posted by: Amy Dunkin on September 05

The beginning of the school year is a shock to the system of any parent after the carefree days of summer. It is especially challenging for a working parent. The…

VACATION ON DEMAND

Posted by: Cathy Arnst on August 31

It’s every worker’s dream: take as much vacation time as you want, on short notice, and don’t worry about your boss calling you on it. Cut out early, make it…

ON-THE-JOB SOLITUDE

Posted by: Amy Dunkin on August 28

Today at lunchtime, sitting with my soda in a shady plaza with a waterfall behind a tall office building on a beautiful day in New York, I had a revelation….

MAD MEN, MISERABLE WOMEN—WELCOME TO THE 60’S

Posted by: Cathy Arnst on August 10

If you’re frustrated and unhappy about the burdensome demands of balancing job and family, then get some perspective and watch Mad Men, a new dramatic series Thursdays at 10 pm…

A WORKING WOMAN’S “AVATARS”

Posted by: Amy Dunkin on August 08

Savita Iyer is a freelance financial journalist. This is her tenth guest blog for Working Parents. Depending on who I am with, I either play up or play down the…

TIME-PRESSED WORKERS

Posted by: Amy Dunkin on August 01

All of us who work and lead lives outside the office—that’s just about everyone who works, actually—constantly feel pressed for time. Now we know why. I came across these revealing…

WHY WORKING MOMS DROP OUT

Posted by: Anne Tergesen on July 26

A few weeks ago, I interviewed several friends who’ve recently walked away from successful careers (“Working Moms Who’ve Recently Quit Working”). To me, the biggest surprise was that these women…

A LUDDITE TRIES LIFE WITH A CRACKBERRY

Posted by: Anne Tergesen on July 05

I’m not a big fan of the small electronic devices a growing number of adults (and children) walk around with these days. With their thumbs jabbing, they gaze into their…

WORKING MOMS WHO’VE RECENTLY QUIT WORKING: BEYOND THE CORPORATE LADDER

Posted by: Anne Tergesen on June 14

There’s an old saying in journalism—three examples make for a trend. Using that definition, I’ve identified a surprising trend among my friends and neighbors. Over the past six months, several…

WORKING DADS WANT FLEXTIME, TOO

Posted by: Amy Dunkin on June 13

Corporations woke up to the need for family-friendly benefits when women began entering the workforce in droves in the 1980s and 1990s. But for a long time, benefits managers say,…

WHY I’M NOT AT THE CLASS PARTY TODAY: ONE WORKING MOM’S HAD ENOUGH

Posted by: Anne Tergesen on June 04

It’s a Tuesday afternoon, and I’m where I can be found most Tuesdays—at my desk, reporting a story and writing this blog. Where I am NOT is at my first…

SUMMER BURN OUT

Posted by: Anne Tergesen on May 24

I love summer: As I’m sure was true of my Norwegian ancestors, I eagerly anticipate the extra long daylight hours. Even a sweltering 90 degree day in Manhattan is fine…

TO FREELANCE OR WORK FULLTIME—THAT’S THE QUESTION

Posted by: Amy Dunkin on May 24

Savita Iyer is a freelance financial journalist. This is her seventh guest blog for Working Parents. Two weeks ago, I had my first job interview in years. It came to…

New (old) parents

Posted by: Lauren Young on May 18

Earlier this week, I was a guest on NPR’s “Talk of the Nation” talking about the ever-expanding age limits on motherhood. (You can listen to the link here.) According to…

THE END OF SCHOOL: A SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR WORKING PARENTS

Posted by: Anne Tergesen on May 17

As the school year winds down, the kids’ excitement is ramping up—and so is my work load. Yes, its here – the happiest of times for school-weary children; the most…

EXERCISE AND WORK

Posted by: Amy Dunkin on May 16

My son’s friend’s mother was telling me that she works in the building right above Grand Central Terminal. It’s a great location and so convenient: The train we take is…

MEET ROSE LEWIS, SINGLE, WORKING MOTHER—AND AUTHOR

Posted by: Cathy Arnst on May 14

If you have a child adopted from China, I guarantee you own a copy of I Love You Like Crazy Cakes, By Rose Lewis, a beautiful picture book for…

THE ELUSIVE 50/50 DIVISION OF LABOR, PART II

Posted by: Anne Tergesen on April 26

My last blog—essentially a complaint that moms, even when they’re the primary breadwinners, are often the ones to take primary responsibility for organizing the household and the kids—certainly struck a…

MEN AND WOMEN: NOT SO DIFFERENT

Posted by: Cathy Arnst on April 25

Fellow Working Parent blogger Anne Tergesen stirred up a firestorm last week with her entry, The Elusive 50/50 Division of Labor, in which she raised the oft-heard complaint that men…

GOT HARDWARE?

Posted by: Amy Dunkin on April 23

I was chatting with a new acquaintance at a dinner party on Saturday when we realized we had the same secret mother’s best friend: the local hardware man. Obviously, we…

RESPONSE TO A READER—HOW I MANAGE

Posted by: Amy Dunkin on April 20

A reader sent me this comment in response to my recent blog entry, My Chaotic Day: “Sadly I have no opportunity to work from home, I’m at the office all…

THE ELUSIVE 50/50 DIVISION OF LABOR

Posted by: Anne Tergesen on April 19

I’m no Don Imus. But I’m about to say something a broad segment of the population—working dads—may find objectionable, if not politically incorrect. O.K., here goes: Why is it that…

HONEY, WE’RE MOVING AGAIN: A CHILD’S VIEW OF THE EXPAT LIFE

Posted by: Amy Dunkin on April 16

Savita Iyer is a freelance financial journalist who lives with her family in Mysore, India. This is her fourth guest blog for Working Parents. When I was a child, I…

TWO-DIMENSIONAL PERSON

Posted by: Anne Tergesen on April 12

The fact that I’ve become a two-dimensional person—one part mom; the other part finance geek—came into sharp focus on a trip we took to Washington DC last week. At one…

MY CHAOTIC DAY

Posted by: Amy Dunkin on April 11

When I tell people I work from home one day a week, they invariably remark at how lucky I am to have such a flexible job. Indeed, I am always…

They Grow Up So Fast

Posted by: James Mehring on April 03

Last night my father-in-law installed a gate between the dining room and kitchen. It was just the latest move in a game of keep-away we are playing with my now…

ORGANIZING PLAY TIME FOR ME AND MINE

Posted by: Amy Dunkin on March 30

Savita Iyer is a freelance financial journalist who lives with her family in Mysore, India. This is her third guest blog for Working Parents. I’ve never been great at playing…

SOFT DRINKS, PART 2—DIET SODA NOT THE ANSWER

Posted by: Cathy Arnst on March 29

Yesterday I wrote about yet another study linking soda pop to all kinds of health dangers. That posting got a comment from one mother, Cordelia, who wonders if she should…

WORK/LIFE BALANCE: HOW THE MILLIONAIRE MOMS DO IT

Posted by: Anne Tergesen on March 29

Tamara Monosoff is the founder of Mom Inventors, a Walnut Creek (Calif.) company that licenses consumer products from entrepreneurial moms. The company handles the manufacturing and distribution, paying the “momtrepreneurs”…

CEO BALANCE

Posted by: Amy Dunkin on March 21

Here at BusinessWeek, we often cross paths with the nation’s highest level working parents, corporate CEOs. And we wonder: How do they achieve work-life balance in their own hectic lives?…

TAKE ANOTHER LITTLE PIECE OF MY HEART

Posted by: Amy Dunkin on March 02

The other night at bedtime, my 10-year-old son popped the question that always seems to stab a working mother right in the heart. “Mom, why can’t you quit your job…

What do you want for Valentine’s Day?

Posted by: Lauren Young on February 14

Happy Valentine’s Day to all the Working Parents readers out there! Careful magazine readers know I’m also the self-annointed chocolate expert here at BusinessWeek. (Make sure you check out my…

THE WITCHING HOUR

Posted by: Amy Dunkin on February 12

It’s 3:15 p.m. Do you know where your children are? Happily, on most days, I know where mine are. They’re just out of school and on the nearest available cell…

We Could All Use A Wife

Posted by: Cathy Arnst on February 08

For the six years my amazing nanny Cheryl worked for me, people would always ask me how I could possibly manage as a single working mother. “Easy,” I said, “I…

FROM DIAPERS TO DERIVATIVES…AND BEYOND

Posted by: Amy Dunkin on February 06

Savita Iyer is a freelance financial journalist who lives with her family in Mysore, India. After she recently wrote a story for BusinessWeek’s Executive Life section about the Ashtanga yoga…

I Get By With A little Help From My Friend

Posted by: Cathy Arnst on February 01

I am writing this from deep in the heart of Maine, where I’m on an assignment (yes, the glamorous life of a reporter: Maine in January). As a single parent,…

OUT OF THE CLOSET

Posted by: Amy Dunkin on January 29

I’m glad it’s official. A front page story in today’s New York Times says women in politics no longer have to downplay their roles as mothers to be considered serious…

COPING STRATEGIES FROM OVERWHELMED PARENTS

Posted by: Anne Tergesen on January 25

Like many working parents, I’m no stranger to feeling overwhelmed. Last Friday was one of those days. First, my four-year-old threatened to boycott his swim lesson. My mind was cluttered…

ROLE MOMMIES

Posted by: Lauren Young on January 24

I haven’t been a mom for that long. (Two years, 75 days, 14 hours, but who is counting?) In my short time on Earth as a parent, I’ve noticed more…

POST VACATION BLUES

Posted by: Anne Tergesen on January 11

Like everyone, I love vacation. But re-entry to normal, everyday life can be painful. Sometimes, the shock of re-entry makes me even question whether going away is worth it at…

Procrastinators Unite! Well, maybe tomorrow….

Posted by: Cathy Arnst on January 10

It’s that time of year when we are busy delaying the start of all those New Year’s resolutions we made with the best of intentions. If one of your resolutions…

WORKING PARENT TIME

Posted by: Amy Dunkin on January 05

Do you notice how so much of the world still operates on a time schedule that’s out of sync with a working parent’s day? The PTA committee you’d like to…

SOMETHING FOR THE KIDS

Posted by: Amy Dunkin on December 29

Back in the fat days, in the late 90s when the magazine was so thick with ads the staples could barely hold it together, management used to throw one wingding…

The 12 Days…of Time Off

Posted by: Lauren Young on December 27

For your musical enjoyment, click here before you read this entry… One of the joys of working at a weekly magazine is that it operates on a set publishing schedule….

THE STAY-AT-HOME WORKING MOTHER

Posted by: Amy Dunkin on December 15

My friend, Jill Jonnes, writes books for a living. Her latest, Conquering Gotham, A Gilded Age Epic: The Construction of Penn Station and Its Tunnels, is coming out in late…

WORK WHEN YOU WANT, WHERE YOU WANT—AND GET MORE DONE! (This is not an infomercial)

Posted by: Anne Tergesen on December 07

The cover article in this week’s issue of BusinessWeek(“Smashing the Clock”) profiles an idea that could be a dream come true for many working parents. Retailer Best Buy is rolling-out…

CELL PHONE PARENTING

Posted by: Amy Dunkin on December 01

During our annual Thanksgiving family gathering in Pittsburgh, we got to talking about how technology has changed our lives. One of my nieces mentioned how frustrating it was that her…

On the Road Again

Posted by: David Rocks on November 15

Traveling internationally has lots of advantages: You’re away from your daily routine, you get to see new places, and you can eat well on the boss’ tab. But it also…

A Pat on the Back for Working Mothers

Posted by: Cathy Arnst on October 18

Finally, a study that’s not trying to make us working moms feel guilty. A new study finds that working mothers aren’t spending any less time with their kids than mothers…

THE HOME TEAM

Posted by: Amy Dunkin on September 14

In “Shape Your Self: My 6-Step Diet and Fitness Plan to Achieve the Best Shape of Your Life,” tennis star Martina Navratilova has a chapter called “Build Your Support Team.”…

A Guide to the Family Dinner

Posted by: Cathy Arnst on September 06

Summer’s over, school’s back in session, and the family dinner—Say What! Who has time for a family dinner? As hard as it may be for working parents, indeed, any parents,…

FAMILY UNFRIENDLY CAREERS

Posted by: Anne Tergesen on August 30

While I live in the most urban of cities (New York), my sister Didi has spent most of her adult life deep in the woods. It’s not easy to find…

Backup Childcare

Posted by: Amy Dunkin on August 28

When the Caller ID said Kingston, Jamaica, it wasn’t a good sign. Sure enough, our nanny was calling to say her flight home had been cancelled due to Hurricane Ernesto….

A VACATION FROM MY VACATION

Posted by: Anne Tergesen on August 21

I just got back from a week of hiking and camping in California’s Sierra Mountains. In many ways, I really “got away from it all,” as they say. There was…

A VACATION: WITH EMAIL AND HOMEWORK?

Posted by: Anne Tergesen on August 14

Last week, our tech department handed me a little gadget that fits on my key chain. It churns out a steady stream of numerical codes that, when input into a…

Formula….Yuck!

Posted by: James Mehring on August 08

When it comes to supplying our daughter with all the mother’s milk she needs, my wife Lyn has done an amazing job. Outside of some operational difficulties during the first…

Mr. Mom

Posted by: Toddi Gutner on August 07

Two months ago I went back to work full-time after five years of working three days a week. The timing couldn’t have been better. My husband, Neil, had just resigned…

The Young and the Clueless

Posted by: Amy Dunkin on August 04

Anne Tergesen’s July 26th blog entry, Work and Family: How Gen Y Plans to Do It, resonated with one of our Gen Y summer interns, Romy Drucker. Romy (pictured below)…

Breastfeeding Awareness—One Working Mom’s Story

Posted by: Amy Dunkin on August 01

Today marks the start of World Breastfeeding Awareness Week. As an adoptive parent, I have absolutely no personal experience with the subject. So I asked BusinessWeek’s “resident expert,” Diane Brady,…

Teaching Internet Safety to Kids

Posted by: Toddi Gutner on July 27

I knew it was going to happen, just not so soon. That is, the urge for my two young sons to be wired—-to sit front of some type of screen…

WHY DO I WORK?

Posted by: Anne Tergesen on July 17

Recently, I had dinner with a friend I’ve known since we were just months old. We talked a lot about her two young daughters and my three young sons. We…

The Devil Wears Prada; The Mensch Wears ?

Posted by: Lauren Young on July 05

Many people may think that the magazine business is like the “The Devil Wears Prada.” But here at BusinessWeek families are in style. When the magazine appointed Steve Adler as…

Dads needs balance, too

Posted by: Lauren Young on June 30

As fellow bloggers David and James have made clear, work/life balance isn’t just an issue for moms. Cali Yost’s Work+Life Fit Blog has an interesting post today on what dads…

LIST MANIA

Posted by: Anne Tergesen on June 23

An incredible thing happened to me yesterday. At approximately 6:00 last night, I crossed the last item off my typically jam-packed “to do” list. I’m a big list-maker. In high…

Soledad O’Brien: “Learn to say no.”

Posted by: Amy Dunkin on June 07

We’ve blogged a fair amount about the time pressures we all face, and how difficult it is to accept volunteer projects on top of everything else we do. Soledad O’Brien,…

Choosing Chores For Children

Posted by: Toddi Gutner on June 06

My colleague, Cathy Arnst, highlighted a suggestion from another blog in her Tips from the Fast Track posting a few days ago: “As your kids age, have them help out…

The Second Shift

Posted by: Anne Tergesen on May 26

When I graduated from college more years ago than I care to count, I landed a job as an editorial assistant (ie: slave) at book publisher Viking Penguin. I was…

Volunteer? You Bet

Posted by: Toddi Gutner on May 22

My colleagues and fellow bloggers, Anne Tergesen and Amy Dunkin, have both recently written about volunteering and the working parent. Their comments inspired me to think about how I choose…

Volunteer? No Way! (Part II)

Posted by: Anne Tergesen on May 15

I enjoyed the comments my first blog attracted on the subject of volunteering. They have helped me think more clearly about ways in which I can volunteer without sacrificing sleep…

More “Mommy War” Fodder: Working is Good for You

Posted by: Cathy Arnst on May 15

A new study seems to score one for working mothers. A team of British researchers who have been tracking since birth some 1,100 women born in 1946 found that, by…

Volunteer? It Depends

Posted by: Amy Dunkin on May 12

Fellow blogger Anne Tergesen’s recent entry on volunteering and the working mom resonated with me and several readers. Just last week, the subject came up for me in two contexts:…

Volunteer? No Way!

Posted by: Anne Tergesen on May 08

Working parenthood is famous for its conflicts. As the school year winds down, the no-win dilemmas really pile up. Sports day, the class picnic, the year-end recital, the championship game—no…

The Lost Art of Downtime

Posted by: Anne Tergesen on April 19

I just returned from a week off. Our itinerary (Disney World, Yankee spring training) wasn’t designed to maximize R&R. But despite activity-filled days, I did get some much-needed mental downtime….

The Real Katie Story: Working (Single) Parent Life Improves With New Job

Posted by: Lauren Young on April 10

I haven’t been able to keep up with the barrage of news coverage about Katie Couric’s jump to CBS. Frankly, the thing I’m most interested in is how the change…

Mommy Wars vs. Daddy Wars

Posted by: Lauren Young on March 31

I’ve been enlightened, encouraged, as well as amused by the comments my Q&A with Mommy Wars author Leslie Morgan Steiner sparked from readers. My fellow Working Parents bloggers have done…

Part-Time II: The Best or the Worst of all Worlds? (Plus: Tips on How to Negotiate A Part-Time Schedule)

Posted by: Anne Tergesen on March 30

Trolling the blogsphere, I just noticed that Leslie Morgan Steiner, editor of “Mommy Wars”—a collection of essays by writers including Susan Cheever and Jane Smiley—has written a blog on the…

Office Art

Posted by: Amy Dunkin on March 28

Can you believe that women hoping to advance their careers once were advised not to keep personal pictures on their desk lest the boss think they cared more about their…

Part-Time: The Best or the Worst of all Worlds? (Plus: Tips on How to Negotiate A Part-Time Schedule)

Posted by: Anne Tergesen on March 23

Sometimes, part-time is the best of all worlds. Other times, it’s undeniably the worst of all worlds—delivering part-time pay for full-time hours (not to mention the extra stress of worrying about how you’ll ever manage to accomplish it all.)

The Perils of Part-Time

Posted by: Amy Dunkin on March 22

I hate to say it, but I’ve seen some pretty stressed out parents who work part-time. They may say they work only three or four days a week. Their…

Mommy Wars Part III

Posted by: Cathy Arnst on March 15

There’s an excellent oped piece in today’s New York Times that bolsters the case of many commenters on this issue—there really is no raging mommy war, because most women work….

Back to Work

Posted by: James Mehring on March 09

Time flies when you are changing diapers, reading fairy tales, and not getting enough sleep. My wife can hardly believe her time off is nearly over. Lyn’s employer provides a…

The Extended Mommy Wars Q&A

Posted by: Lauren Young on March 02

With the arrival of that first baby comes one of the most difficult and controversial decisions a woman ever makes: Stay at home or go back to work? Leslie Morgan…

The Other Man

Posted by: Lauren Young on February 21

I’m going to let you in on a little secret: I cheat on my husband with someone from work. Well, it’s not exactly cheating, and it’s not exactly a secret,…

The Family-Friendly Corporation

Posted by: Amy Dunkin on February 17

Harold W. McGraw III, known to all of us at BusinessWeek simply as Terry, is chairman and CEO of our parent corporation, The McGraw-Hill Cos. As such, he’s involved with…

Technology: Friend or Foe of the Working Parent? Part II

Posted by: Anne Tergesen on February 13

In my first entry to this Blog, I wrote about the challenge many of us face in managing our mobile offices without becoming a slave to the very electronic devises…

Fwd: Fwd: Fwd:

Posted by: Amy Dunkin on February 12

You know how your friends and family constantly clutter your Inbox with jokes and emails of unknown origin that make their way across the Internet? Most of them we spike…

Making Evenings Easier

Posted by: James Mehring on February 07

To avoid our frayed nerves and hectic days from ruining our nights, Lyn and I have stumbled onto a few useful routines.

Working Father Magazine?

Posted by: Toddi Gutner on February 06

When I came home late Saturday night from 4-day business trip to Puerto Rico with the Belizean Grove, I had some concerns about what I would find. Usually when I…

Wanted: Working Parent’s Shangri-La

Posted by: Lauren Young on February 03

In some cases, you can simply follow in the trail of the moms (as well as dads) ahead of you who did all the legwork.

Why Work Works

Posted by: Toddi Gutner on January 26

Working Mother magazine is currently calling for entries for its’ 100 Best Companies list. This annual exercise is “intended to promote the interests of working moms in corporate America by…

Our New Blog

Posted by: Amy Dunkin on January 23

Before I welcome you to BusinessWeek’s new Working Parents blog, I’d like to clarify something. We recognize that all parents, whether they go to an office and take home a…

Technology: Friend or Foe of the Working Parent?

Posted by: Anne Tergesen on January 23

Over the past couple of years, BlackBerry-toting moms and dads have popped up everywhere: At sporting events and on beaches, playgrounds, ski slopes and baseball diamonds. When my son’s first…