You often hear about how having a child changes everything about you and how you see life. You are supposed to suddenly understand what's important and that understanding usually reveals that life outside of work is more important. But I wonder? As a person who works hard to balance work and life, I think I could go either way because having a child might make me work more not less since I will want to insure a better life for him or her.
Where do you think you land on this?
Replies | 1 Total
November 5, 2008 at 11:15pm by Vicki Jardine
I think people need to consider the whole picture of their life and what they value and want most from their lives.
I think it is easy to slip into looking at parenting and work as an either/or situation. But the whole topic is really about'balance' between the two.
A parent should not have to choose between their children and their work.
I know there are only 24 hours in a day and parents face tremendous pressure at times when they do have to make decisions about where to place themselves physically and for how long.
When you say, 'insure a better life for him or her', are you implying that merely spending time with your child cannot result in a better life while making more money can?
As a parent and an ex-teacher, I have given this subject a lot of thought. In fact, I have studied it. There are a lot of parents putting work ahead of their kids, who do actually provide a good life for their children in a physical sense.
And there are a lot of parents who also put work ahead of spending time with their kids, and for one reason or another, the children are not provided with a good life. Not only do they never see their parents, nor do they experience what it is to feel like their parents even know them or understand them. What is the payoff for these kids?
The definition of a 'better life' is too loose.
What could be better than being a child and knowing you are loved and valued. How does a child know they are loved and valued? Because they experience being valued and loved. They only see what you show them.
They dont understand about bills, mortgages, private school fees, investments.
All they know is you haven't played with them for 5 days, you're always tired when you are home and you get annoyed at them for nothing frequently.
I have actually formed an organization called Highly Successful Kids. We are dedicated to giving parents the tools they need to 'connect' with their children through a program for parents called The Permission To Shine Program.
We recognize the time-constraints on parents and so have designed the strategies and processes to be implemented in the course of their normal daily activities (like mornings and evening meal times and bedtimes etc).
Think about what you wish your parents could have done for you. What potential lies undeveloped within you because they didn't know how to develop it, or even 'to' develop it?
How much harder has your life been or is being (rather than better), because you had to do for yourself what a parent could have done for you while you were developing?
This is not meant to be a 'guilt-trip'. Quite the contrary.
I am saying here's some great news! Here are the tools, and here's how to use them to give your child a 'better life'.
Imagine being able to ensure a better life for your child because you understand what it is your child needs from you and how to give it to them....and have success at work too. In fact, you possibly have more success at work because of how smoothly things are running at home.
I have a FREE audio for anyone who is interested. Go to permissiontoshine.com to find out more about the benefits of this program to you and your family.