14 Shades of (flexible working) Grey
Huzzah! Those bright minds who study jet streams, cloud formations and precipitation patterns are talking about the bright, bold disc that’s usually on display at this time of year making a comeback. Sunshine, yellow, warmth, orange, yay! Yet for the last 6 weeks it’s been almost total overkill with the grey both in terms of the weather and THAT book. (Goodness knows there’s so much more out there but if it got more of the world reading then great).
Women and The Vision Thing
The old proverb about there being more than one way to skin a cat came into sharp focus recently as I observed my three year old daughter’s response to a hungry, bad-tempered troll lurking under a climbing frame at the park. The troll was me. I yelled that I wasn’t going to let her cross my bridge and if she did, I’d eat her up if one big gollop. Clever little Artemis decided to offer me some chicken and strawberries which I accepted and then couldn’t be nearly so grumpy.
Working Mothers Holiday Enid Blyton Style
We’ve been a long time in Noddy Land in our house (no really, this is a literary reference not me berating myself for a series of school girl errors of late ha ha!) and have recently moved on to Enid Blyton’s The famous Five. We’ve started with Five on a Treasure Island which is the first of Blyton’s much loved middle class, isn’t-life-wonderful, childhood adventure stories of five little poppets doing wholesome things together on holiday.
When Giving Up is Good
‘Quitting’ is probably not something you’d expect me to talk about in glowing terms – unless of course we’re talking dirty habits – but that’s where we’re at in this month’s Flourishing Female column. (I realise I have published a book that advocates not changing one’s bed sheets too often so you may be disinclined to let me be the judge of what is and is not a ‘dirty’ habit.
Thinking & Doing Fathers
A couple of months ago a new client (not Samantha Cameron) passionately described how ridiculous it is that women are assumed, by their partners, to be The Oracle when it comes to children – particularly in the early days of parenthood when in reality you’re both learning together. In this month’s Mothers Work! mailing I’m offering some pointers on how to get your partners contributing (more) to family life, particularly on the thought front because that can be more wearisome than the graft of doing.
Is it taboo? Is it really?
In the space of a week I’ve had three conversations with three different mothers (clients) whose shoulders I could almost hear dropping from ear-hunched positions to relaxed relief when I suggested or endorsed the idea of organising a bit of regular childcare before they go back to work. Childcare isn’t just for those of us who have another job to go to – it’s respite care for overstretched mothers everywhere.
Part-Time Executives
From the research I’ve done for and since the writing of my book to support women back into work after children (Mothers Work! Published by Hay House June 6th 2011) I’m concluding that the single most significant thing anyone can do to narrow the pay gap between men and women, mothers and non-mothers is to increase the status of part time work.
The horse's mouth
“It’s been remarkable – a huge impact on my personal and professional life.” Nicky’s getting better results from her team, she’s confidently approaching difficult conversations and is fulfilling a secret ambition to write a book. Read how Agnes, Dani, Andrea and Emmy say they’ve benefited from a short spell of coaching.
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