Working Parent Woes, and Why They're Worth It for Me (Now)

By Dawn M. Roode October 4, 2012

Does "now" mean at this moment, at my son's age, at my current job? Take your pick. On any given day, at any given moment, I might disagree with myself that being a working parent is "worth it." But as I said, at present, it is for me. The woes are not surprising or unexpected, and every working parent deals with them: the cost of childcare, the inability to be multiple places at one time, the guilt (for you name it), the feeling like nothing ever gets done 100-percent. I'm not going to chronicle them all here, because if you're reading this, chances are you're in the club. I am fortunate to have a 3-day-per-week job, a nanny my family is happy with, and some perspective that, in my opinion, comes with becoming a mother later in life. So this week, I am choosing to look at the bright side of things and attempt to ignore the fact that I have spent more than 10 hours in medical waiting rooms, that I have worked late (very late) more nights than I can count, that my to-do list has been chronically keeping me up at night...oh, what? Yes, IGNORING these things...

What I've Been Working on This Week, Minus the Woes

On the professional front: • Our countdown to Halloween began in mid-September, and with every day closer we get to Oct. 31, the more excited we get. Not just to don our own costumes and help our kids pick theirs, but to give awesome prizes to you every week and to ultimately see your kids' in their spooky or funny get-ups. (You might want to like our Facebook page now for reminders on how to share their pictures with us closer to Halloween—and possibly win a $500 gift card to The Children's Place or a family 4-pack of tickets to see Peter & the Starcatcher on Broadway!) So this week, our whole team has continued to post fun new holiday content and give away prizes to our lucky winners. • We're on press tomorrow with our latest issue of Special Parent magazine, and we've been working tirelessly to put together the best content we can to support all the parents in our area who have children with special needs. Here's a sneak peek at some of what's in the issue: [caption id="attachment_3089" align="alignleft" width="323"]

The fall NYC edition of Special Parent[/caption] Inspiring Photo Essay of Children with Special Needs Special Survey: ASD & Bullying Too Much Confusion about Learning Disabilities Homegrown Heroes: Raising Autism Awareness MassMutual Disability Leadership Award The Big Reveal: Sharing a Diagnosis with Your Child On the homefront: Hmm, since you're not interested in hearing about our air conditioner removal and child-guard installations and all that jazz, I'll share a few of the fun things we did. • Apple-picking at Harvest Moon Farm & Orchards, where we also had a blast in the pumpkin patch, noshed on barbecue, cider donuts, and fuit: We didn't have time for a pony ride but my son didn't even care because the hay ride, old tractor, and getting to run around on a gorgeous fall day were sufficiently exhausting.

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Finally, we found some apples hanging low enough for those eager hands![/caption] [caption id="attachment_3098" align="aligncenter" width="604"]

Can you tell he had fun?[/caption] [caption id="attachment_3099" align="aligncenter" width="620"]

Round two in the pumpkin field, cause one time wasn't nearly enough[/caption] [caption id="attachment_3100" align="aligncenter" width="403"]

"I see one, Dad!"[/caption] [caption id="attachment_3101" align="aligncenter" width="200"]

Bouncing around on the hay ride[/caption] • Baking: We spent a good deal of time paging through the fabulous Catherine McCord's Weelicious cookbook, tagging a bunch of recipes we'd make together over the next few weeks. On Sunday we tackled homemade oat bars (even my 86-year-old grandmother, who is seemingly allergic to anything with a whiff of good-for-you-ness, loved them!), and Tuesday we made the most scrumptious banana–peanut butter muffins. Not too many left... [caption id="attachment_3094" align="aligncenter" width="225"]