Question

Short Essay 7 Case Study: Baby Kelly’s Parents The case of Baby Kelly began in our Infancy discussions. Baby Kelly was born prematurely to Paige and Jacob. Paige’s maternity leave was up when Kelly was four weeks old. At that time, she made the decision to take a one year of absence from her career in human services. She was apprehensive and fearful that her position would no longer be available at the end of one year, but felt that she had no other choice in order to meet her responsibilities to her vulnerable baby and the rest of her family. Jacob did not have any leave of absence options at his management consulting firm. He used his paternity leave and sick time when Baby Kelly was born. Baby Kelly’s first birthday is fast approaching. He is still prone to colds and respiratory infections that require him to be on some type of medication almost constantly. Paige is still waking up in the middle of the night to Kelly’s crying. She is sleep deprived and longs to have some time alone to relax in peace and quiet and to sleep. With her leave of absence almost complete, Paige has started to wonder how she will manage working fulltime plus taking responsibility for Kelly and her other children, and managing the household. She is becoming tense as her start date for work approaches.

Answer the following questions in essay form. Your essay should be between 1 - 2 pages in length and adhere to APA guidelines.

What are some issues that Paige must deal with in order to find a balance between work and her family life?

What strategies would you suggest that might help her be effective in finding a workable balance? What type of public policy or corporate policy should help reduce the pressure on parents who have responsibility for a special needs or vulnerable child or aging parent?

In what ways does the parenting role contribute to the achievement of generativity?

Answer 1

some issue that Paige must deal with in order to find a balance between wprk and her family life is that she needs to set a certain amount of time for work and for her child. she needs to address the issue on whether she needs to hire a nanny or help for her child to be able to spend time on other aspects of her life as well. she needs to discuss with her husband on how they can divide time to be able to take care of the child.

here are some strategies that paige can use:

1. Analyzing the present situation is the beginning step in achieving a balanced life. Keep a time log of everything she does for one week, including work-related and personal activities. This data will help to understand how time is being spent or lost.

2. Spend some time seriously reflecting on what is most important, and make a list of top priorities at work and at home. this will help to understand where to start from.

3. Take the list of priorities and turn them into concrete and measurable goals. Block time into the schedule for activities just like she would for an important meeting or a doctor's appointment.

4. Set aside 10 to 20 minutes at the beginning of each day (or the night before) to plan the tasks and activities for the day and evening ahead.

5. Set fair and realistic limits on what she will and will not do both at work and at home. Clearly communicate these boundaries with her coworkers, partner and family. Additionally, she can set aside a time at home during which she will not check or respond to work-related emails or voice mails.

6. Relationships with family, friends, and loved ones are the greatest source of inner satisfaction. If the job or career is damaging your personal relationships, both areas will ultimately suffer. Sure there will be days when she will need to work overtime. By making her personal relationships a priority, your productivity and effectiveness on the job will actually increase.

public or corporate policies must target in terms of flex hours, telecommuting, a compressed work week, job-sharing, or part-time employment. this would allow one to work more productively, while at the same time cutting stress and freeing-up valuable personal/family time. If the company does not yet have a flexible scheduling program, consider proposing one.