Work-family balance often seems like the domain of the crack-addict super cheerful tailored clothing parents. You know the ones. Well-groomed. Peaceful. Soft-voiced and centered. Attendees of weekend tantra workshops and instigators of afternoon craft projects with children that actually turn out. Where I come from, work-family balance is more like "you work, I'll have a family" and balance doesn't really come into it. Besides, who needs balance (and really what the hell is balance anyway?) when one enjoys the temperamental things in life -- the hurry-scurry of a million little peanut-buttery feet and stepping on very sharp toys at 2AM.
According to Working Dad this is what it's all about anyway...
...and he is one mega-sharp blogdaddio. He rightly points out that "... the work-family balance debate is a dangerous sport. It implies
there is some magical formula, a mix of just the right amount of job
hours, family time and date nights, that creates a harmonious family."
Like the rest of us with very young children, Working Dad has discovered that chaos is more in play than order or balance. because of this, most parents would be well-advised to surrender idealized notions of work-family balance in favor of something softer and more covered in spaghetti: real life with small kids.
