Deciding whether or not to go back to work after my child was born has made me a less judgmental person
In the United States a woman who has a child can take up to 12 (unpaid) weeks off under FMLA. Today is the start of my 13th week. I was supposed to go back to work, but I stayed home. I simply decided it did not make sense for me to return to work.
Thoughts on deciding whether or not to tell your kids you’re a sex worker
Back when I worked as a stripper, I was just about as out-and-proud as they come. I wrote a blog about stripping under my real name. I cofounded a magazine by and for sex workers. I found community in the sex worker rights movement. But when I gave birth to my daughter two years ago, I began to wonder if I should shut up about my years in the sex industry.
Why work-life balance is my favorite oxymoron
Balancing working and raising children is something that many parents everywhere struggle with on a daily basis. No matter if a woman reports directly to her CEO or her toddler, many of us would laugh off the notion of getting it completely right. And as I sit outside the south tunnel on a New Jersey Transit train that has been infinitely delayed heading into New York City, it has occurred to me that I’m not going to be the first to perfect it.
I’ve gone from Child-Free to confused and now I’m grossed out
In the break rooms at work, over lunch, next to coffee pots or in store aisles while shopping for high gloss paint, I have proclaimed with unwavering conviction to at least a hundred people: “I never, absolutely never, want kids.” This stance has come to symbolize a lot more than my choice on children: it represents my autonomy, my position in (or not in) various social spheres, and, to some degree, my rejection of conventionality. And thus, my recent confusion about whether or not I want a kid has felt like a lot of very unpleasant things.
How can I make my office baby-friendly?
I’m a new mother to a beautiful four-month-old girl. I’m also a contract lecturer and have to take work when I can get it. One of the things I love about my job is that I can work from home and take her to university with me, but I’m not sure how to set up my office to suit us both.
Analyzing the costs and benefits of having a kid: is it worth it?
As with all things you want, there is a cost, right? For example, I like my house, so I work to stay in it. Now that I’m thinking about having a kid… I’m wondering: what are the costs, and what are the benefits?
How I’ve managed to work from home since my son stopped napping
Once upon a time I was able to work from home while my son peacefully napped once, maybe even twice, a day. Those days are gone and in their place I have days filled with NON-STOP KID ENERGY and little time for anything else.
We have to put our kid in childcare to run our farm — how do I cope?
My husband and I run our family farm full-time… and also parent our fourteen-month-old. It’s no longer feasible for her to be at home with us if we’re to get any work done, but I’m totally bummed. How can I deal with having to put her in childcare?