As the kids grow, the support shrinks. Is it time to change that?
Claire Quansah
As the kids grow, the support shrinks. Is it time to change that?
It’s been 15 years since I returned to work from my first maternity leave. Whilst I’m grateful for the support and flexibility I received during that return and my second mat leave, I’ve more recently been thinking about the ongoing need to support mums in the workplace.
Late last year, there was a flurry of headlines about (mostly) women taking ‘teenternity’ leave. An extended break from work to support their emotional, confused, hormone-ridden offspring. After rolling my eyes back from the back of my head at the thought of another quirky parenting trend, it did get me thinking. Do employers need to do more to support the parents of tweens and teens?
Yes, it’s a completely selfish question. I’m writing this as my son takes his first GCSE exam and I just about have some hair left on my head. But I’m sure there are parents all over the country feeling the same, who would appreciate the support and acknowledgement from their employers that this phase is hard. And juggling it with work is even harder.
It’s been great to see more companies offering time for first day at school and settling in etc, but the challenges don’t stop at the primary school gates.
I hate to break it to the parents of toddlers, but the tears and tantrums continue! In fact, some might argue that teenagers need their parents’ presence even more (although they would probably disagree…)
If you were to ask for time off to look after a poorly 5 yr old, there’d probably be no problem. But what would be the reaction to requesting time off to support a teenager who’s struggling with revision?
I’m not in a position to take a year off to support my child with GCSE prep – and he’d probably keel over at the thought – but I do have the privilege of being self-employed, so have a level of control over my diary. This has allowed me to reduce the amount of travel I commit to over the next six weeks.
Is that a conversation that many PR mums would be able to have with their employers?
I’m not sure what the answers are and appreciate it could be different for everyone, but a little bit of acknowledgement for this stressful, tiring and confusing period, could go a long way.