Equally Shared Parenting - Half the Work ... All the Fun



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Here's where we keep you updated on news about parenting as it relates to division of responsibilities, career versus home decisions, work/life balance, and legislative and grass-roots movements toward equality or better choices for families. We'll also throw in our opinions of life as equal parents in a nonequal world, regardless of what's in the news.

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Equality Blog

Monday, January 31, 2011

Sharing in Purgatory

We're back on Lisa Belkin's NY Times Motherlode blog again today (thanks, Lisa!) with a guest post dissecting newly published co-parenting research from Ohio State University. The media coverage, until now, has been rather abysmal on this one - with provocative headlines such as Dads are Fun, Moms are Shrews, Fathers Should Be a Little Less Involved in Parenting, Men Should Concentrate on Playing with Their Children and Leave the Care to Women, and even Splitting Child Rearing Duties Can Be More Harmful Than Helpful.

But when we actually read the study, we found something very different...data that make sense given the non-ESP study population, and great fodder for the argument to make sure that you share the power and responsibility at home when you attempt to also share the chores. Check out our analysis and leave a comment if you can.

Many thanks to the study's co-author Sarah Schoppe-Sullivan, psychologist at the Department of Human Development and Family Science, for allowing us to interview her. Her response to our NYT blog post: "Wonderful post! Just fabulous! A great analysis of relevant issues and you have also assuaged some of my guilt from how my study is being interpreted. Bravo and keep up the excellent work!" 

It feels great to have made a new friend in the ESP-research world.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Chinese Mothers

The parenting blogosphere has been all abuzz about Amy Chua's Wall Street Journal excerpt on the superiority of Chinese mothers and her new memoir The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. Ms. Chua is inciting parents on all sides about the value of pushing children to excel, and at what cost. Her practices, presented in their extreme in the WSJ piece, involve invoking a high level of parental control on what her children will and will not do. They will take violin or piano lessons and practice every day for hours, they will not watch television or have playdates or sleepovers, they will get As on every test, etc. And as a result of her unceasing efforts to bludgeon her children into compliance, she initially thinks she'll be able to turn out young citizens who are excellent musicians, students, and workers in high-prestige fields. She berates typical American parenting as wimpy, catering to the changing whims of children so that they do not learn the value of sticking through the tough times and coming out on top.

While there is much to be wary of in Ms. Chua's parenting recommendations (see here and here and here for some excellent criticism and here and here for a description of Ms. Chua explaining that the WSJ piece was misleading about her message), there is one nugget of pure gold here. A nugget that matches up extraordinarily well with equally shared parenting. It is the principle that if we are able to master the details of any endeavor, we are then free to enjoy the essence of the pursuit.

Two other simple examples: For the longest time knitting was a chore for me. My sister owned a knitting shop and I was determined to find out what she was raving about. Repeating those little hand movements and hoping I didn't drop a stitch just made me tense. It took many months to get "good enough" at knitting before I could settle into a relaxing evening with my yarn. Second, I remember the early days of pursuing the dream of ESP with Marc. I disagreed with "his way" of doing many things, from my worries about his lack of commitment to the schedule, his cavalier attitude toward safety, or his seemingly inability to recognize that laundry needed tending. Choosing to "let go" of the belief that my way was superior has been one of the more important lessons of my life.

The driving force to persist in these examples was something bigger than the details of the task at hand. Whether it was a connection with my sister or indeed a more meaningful connection with Marc through ESP, dedication and persistence to accomplishing anything proved worth the effort. I suspect that Ms. Chua would agree.

This is the same principle behind what we call the artisanal worker in the Career chapter of our book. Applying excellence to paid work, we maintain that if you get good at something, and love what you do, you are a valuable worker - one who can command more pay per hour and perhaps work less to balance your life with other things - and your enjoyment builds. This principle also gets play as a directive toward fathers to get competent at caring for their children - their own way.

Ms. Chua pushes her children with this goal in mind, and while I don't believe in the lengths she takes or the mental whip she wields or the pure control she exerts over exactly what activities they will do, I believe the principle of practice and effort is sound. If we can teach our kids that they can persevere and excel at something (or a few somethings), they will hopefully take this wisdom into the rest of their lives - not giving up on their dreams or their abilities when the going gets rough. And if we do so ourselves as adults, we can love the job we have and our time with our children (most of the time) because we're comfortably competent there.

One of the many things I specifically disliked about Ms. Chua's approach, however, was the one-sidedness of it. I must confess the obvious sin of not having read her book, so I cannot completely rest assured that I'm interpreting the media exposure for it correctly. But, all comments that mention her husband indicate that he does not seem to share in the work of this intense parenting, and it seems to me as if she must have extreme control over how the children are raised even as she notes how he objects to its seeming coldness. In an ESP family, this would not happen; both parents would need to be on board for how much to push their children's academic or musical or athletic education and when to back down or change the rules.

In our house, for example, we've spent much time talking about how to approach M and T's violin training. At 8 and 5, both are budding violinists, both practice every day and are working their way along the Suzuki Method (yes, practicing even on the weekends and on vacation, with the same reasoning that we ask them to brush their teeth every day as well - but for a paltry amount of time per day compared to Ms. Chua's kids), and both have had their share of objections to such. But both have had their triumphs too - techniques or pieces conquered, fear of performance tackled, new things learned, the joy of making and sharing their music with friends and family, an insider's appreciation for watching music played by others. They love playing (although maybe not every moment of actual practicing), and I feel as if we've given them a gift by shepherding them this far.

And as an aside, I'll put in a good word for the Suzuki Method of teaching music - contrary to some of the comments stirred up by Amy Chua's description of teaching by negativity and grueling attacks, it is not based on fear or meanness; it is based on love and nurturing and community, and is one of the best programs I've seen for teaching children anything.

But back on topic, all of this has had to be negotiated between Marc and myself - a complete nonmusician and a lifelong violin enthusiast. We both take ownership for our family's approach to music teaching - not my way or else. Although I take a bit of a lead as the kids' 'practice parent' because I enjoy it so much and my violin knowledge counts for a little bit of extra help, Marc and I alternate who sits with each of the kids for their daily practice.

As part of the deep importance we place on working together as a team to direct M and T's early musical training, we've talked about the value in getting through the tough practice sessions. Should we let them quit? Should we stick it through? We have chosen to stick it through, learning a huge amount along the way about when to follow their enthusiasm, when to hang back and let them choose, when to firmly make the decisions. It has, so far, been a journey that has brought us closer and one I will never forget.

So while I could echo all the shock surrounding Amy Chua's book, I'll just take what I like and leave the rest. I believe in effort, in sticking with something until it is yours or until you are in a position to truly judge that it isn't for you. I believe that putting in this type of work is what builds esteem (and talent) and ownership, and holds you up when you hit life's next rough patch. I hope to give this tool to my children, whether they choose like me to play the violin (or another instrument) as adults or just know that they could.

Monday, January 10, 2011

The Netherlands Model

In our book, we discuss how difficult it can be to share the breadwinning domain because it is the one area that directly interacts with forces outside the family. Bills have to be paid, jobs have to be found, benefits obtained, and schedules negotiated for both partners and both of their employers to allow an aspiring ESP couple to piece together the lifestyle that works for them.

In many ways, it is the breadwinning domain that causes couples to think outside the box the most - and to make the largest surface sacrifices - to get to the ultimate prizes of equality and balance.

Despite these challenges, we are optimistic about success for a few reasons. First of all, there are lots of data to suggest that young men and women view work differently than their parents do. They are much more likely to prioritize fitting work into their lives instead of the other way around. Secondly, as the Baby Boomers begin to retire, even they are realizing that "checking out" of the work world is not always desirable for both financial and non-financial reasons; many are looking to launch their "encore" career or hobby which will undoubtedly bring in a paycheck but can accomodate a non-traditional schedule or arrangement as a way to more fully enjoy their golden years. Retirement is passe.

These two groups - Gen Y and non-retiring Boomers - squeeze the labor market from both ends of the age spectrum, forcing companies to adapt as they compete for talent. The idea that this phenomenon might open up the way to easy flexible career coordination might sound like a pipe-dream to some as we continue to struggle with high unemployment in the US, but there are signs that these macro changes are already happening.

Just look at the Netherlands.

On December 29th, Katrin Bennhold wrote an
article for the NY Times called, Working (Part-Time) in the 21st Century. The piece covers the continuing trend in the Netherlands to trade money for time. "Indeed, for a growing group of younger professionals, the appetite for a shorter, a more flexible workweek appears to be spreading, with implications for everything from gender identity to rush-hour traffic." In this country, part-time work is common - not just for lower-income careers but for lawyers, managers, engineers and even surgeons (a job we've been adamantly told by surgeon's wives just could not possibly be done in less than full-time hours). And these reduced hours jobs are being claimed not just by mothers, but by fathers and childless employees, with companies using this perk as a way to attract the best talent.

In fact, one in three Dutch fathers now works either part-time or full-time at four days per week so that he can be home at least one day per week with his kids. The percent of part-time women in the workforce is still far greater (75%), but this is actually helping the cause - as formerly male-dominated fields are being increasingly populated by women and forcing the change in thinking about part-time work.

The Dutch government is a help in these changes, rather than a hindrance. The government awarded its own "Modern Man Prize" for breaking gender stereotypes; the winner was chosen for co-founding a campaign that promotes part-time work for men - and for working four days a week himself. And interestingly, the Netherlands is the only country in which women actually work less than men, even after you add up hours spent on childcare and housework!

And our own Microsoft is right in the mix, at least when it comes to telecommuting flexibility. Featured in the article, Microsoft Netherlands boasts that ninety-five percent of its employees work from home at least one day a week; a full quarter do so four out of five days. "Each team has a "physical minimum;" some meet twice a week in the office, others once a quarter. Online communication and conference calls save time, fuel and paper waste. The company says it has cut its carbon footprint by 900 tons this year."

When we were interviewing couples for our book, a Dutch couple wrote to us and we spoke with them at length. Featured in the book, Jan and Saskia are a perfect example of this type of thinking about part-time work and equally shared parenting. Imagine a world where you aren't the odd couple for practicing ESP or working less than the prescribed 40+ hours - but that you had plenty of company in your neighbors, friends, and children's parents.

It will come. It is already here on our very own Earth.

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