Today I was reading a blog posting about Parents Day (which, in case you missed it was July 24, was founded in 1994 and is generally ignored in favour of Mother’s and Father’s Day).
The focus of the blog is that parenting is hard.
And yes, it is. But any job worth doing is hard, is challenging and is also exciting, energizing and ultimately worthwhile.
It’s not just about the outcome (healthy, happy and capable young adults) it’s about the journey. If parenting is only hard, you are missing the boat. It is, or can be the most wonderful job in the world and also fun. Kids are fun, they are unpredictable, they are stimulating and inspiring.
Now the reality is that parents are also feeling stressed, tired and unappreciated. Particularly at work.
Workplaces that want to see the parents in their workforce come to work ready to do the job, ready to be productive and to be focused will find that if they offer them support and information the payoffs are enormous.
Beyond Childcare is program that does just that.
Family friendly workplaces generally offer a range of benefits designed to support parents. These benefits recognize the challenges of holding down two jobs, one in the workplace and one on the homefront.
But the piece that’s often missing is giving parents the information, training and support that makes it possible for them to be confident and capable with their children. When things are going well at home, they go better at work. And when the employer supports parents, they have employees who are loyal and dedicated to their workplace.
It’s a win-win. Actually it’s a win-win-win because parents in the workplace, the workplace itself and the future employees (the kids) all benefit.
