THE WORKING
PARENTS' SURVIVAL GUIDE
Sally Wendkos Olds
iUniverse, 2000 (previously published by Bantam Books & Prima Publishing)
Today, the majority of women with babies under a year old are working rather than staying home taking care of their children. Working parents are under tremendous stress. I know. I've been there. I worked at a variety of part- and full-time jobs while my three children were young, and I remember how hard it often was—and yet how much satisfaction I received from both my family and my work. I wrote this book to help other working parents—mothers and fathers—to go far beyond survival, to enjoy their lives as parents and as workers. I interviewed more than 200 mothers and fathers, both personally and through a long questionnaire, about their lives, the satisfactions and the dilemmas. In addition, I consulted with top experts: family counselors, time-management authorities, psychologists, psychiatrists, employers, and professionals in the field of child care. With the help of my interviewees and my other research, I tried to cover every conceivable problem a working parent encounters, from finding suitable child care to finding enough time to make love.
Here are some of the topics covered in The Working Parents' Survival Guide:
- Pros and cons of every form of child care
- Household help: interviewing, hiring and firing
- What to look for in a preschool or day-care center
- Children alone after school
- Money management for two-paycheck couples
- Finding time for sex
- Creating a balance between work and home
- Negotiating for maternity/paternity leave
- Breastfeeding for the working mother
- Coping strategies for single parents
- 22 chants for casting out parental guilt
- Tips for saving time, money and energy
- Much, much more
EXCERPTS FROM PUBLISHED REVIEWS
“A must-read book for all parents who wish or need to combine the jobs of parenthood and career.” —ICEA (International Childbirth Education Association) Bookmarks
“The subtitle . . . ought to be: Maintaining sanity and preserving time. . . . Easy to read, . . . a must for all working parents, regardless of gender or marital status.” —Birth & Life Bookstore
“Brimming over with family-tested ideas that really work.” —Knight-Ridder Newspapers
“A book that will give any parent determination and encouragement when it comes to combining work and parenthood.”—Health Resources
“The classic book in the field.” —“Women at Work,” King Features
For more information
or to buy this book
