Work/Life Balance

[Orange Juice]

I was going through stacks of documentation that ended up in a pile in my closet over 20 years. I got down to the last of it and found my “work/life hand book”, when corporate America decided to screw up the family unit around 2000.

Any of you think you could raise 8 kids today?

 

[ltbaney1]

NFW i could do 8. struggling to do 2. with 2 full time and 1 part time income

 

[CLdrinker]

3 is crazy.

 

[boatnam2]

36 years shift work, I could write a 1000 page book on all the shit I missed for work.

 

[sonicss31]

Hell no. I raised 2. When I was a kid one of my friends had 14 brothers and sisters. Crazy. Parents must have been good because all 15 were well mannered and such.

 

[BabyRay]

Hell no. I raised 2. When I was a kid one of my friends had 14 brothers and sisters. Crazy. Parents must have been good because all 15 were well mannered and such.

Well, it’s like having certain dog breeds; you’d better train them well, or you’ll have a nightmare on your hands.

 

[DWC]

The more any boss talks about how important work/life balance is, the more he could care less about it.

 

[Happy Smitty]

I'm raising two clones. We speak the same language. Brrraaap vroom ugaugauga load up were going riding and so on. Any more and it would likely put a wrench in the gears.

 

[ChumpChange]

I have four. Currently at Karate with two of them. Can go to any event needed. Bankers hours.

 

[attitude]

That’s how my family operated until July of last year. I worked days and my fiancée worked nights. I would leave for work when she got home and we would spend a couple hours together in the afternoon. It sucked but she was trooper and could run on no sleep while taking care of two kids.

She’s been a stay at home mom for almost 6 months now and she wants another job, because she doesn’t feel productive…lol

P.S. I don’t think corporate America screwed up the work life balance, I think moms getting jobs did. Back when a majority of households were single income, a dual income household had an advantage money wise. Once the dual income households gained popularity the cost of living began to rise, which snowballed into most people needing dual incomes or working their ass off as a single income.

 

[petie6464]

I see this and am so thankful I was self employed my entire life. I didn't miss anything for work, I worked a hell of a lot but I took the time for what is important.

- I've never met a man on his death bed that said: "I wish I would have worked more."

 

[Sportin' Wood]

I was going through stacks of documentation that ended up in a pile in my closet over 20 years. I got down to the last of it and found my “work/life hand book”, when corporate America decided to screw up the family unit around 2000.

View attachment 1469970

Any of you think you could raise 8 kids today?

In today's world we might think some other activity might be taking place while he is working nights.

 

[NicPaus]

Work more = better lifestyle with less free time.
Work less = more free time with a budget lifestyle

 

[SOCALCRICKETT]

I can't imagine how large families do it...


I'm exceptionally fortunate in that I work a 48/96 schedule with no forced overtime. That works out to 10 days a month, and my wife has the same schedule. So basically it's 2 days at the station, 2 days home alone with my boys and 2 days together as a family. I have 2 son and I'm lucky to live in a city where we can go shooting, offroading and boating all within 30 minutes.

I couldn't imagine trying to do this in the hustle of the southern California rat race, I'd spend most of my free time just trying to commute to my place of fun then have to fight the crowds when I get there, not to mention everything costs money in california. Where I am now is just right, I get to spend quality time with my family without it having to be a big hassle

 

[Tank]

I too have worked shift work for 30 years and have missed a LOT of events. Luckily wife has been stay at home mom to handle the kids which has been very good. Everyone preaches “work life balance” with shift work but I’ve also found on the flip side you get a lot of “you take a lot of vacation” or “you’re never around” at work with people that are gone a lot. Or a negative stigma with people that use their sick time. I get that sentiment but I also get family first. It’s a double edge sword.

You always hear that old line “no one said on their death bed they wish they worked more…” but it’s almost slap in the face to those that DID work late nights, all night, holidays and weekends to pay the bills and afford the toys and vacations and good birthdays and Christmas’. The appreciation is kinda lost with that line. Yeah! I wish I could be home all the time. Someone has to fuckin work and take the hits and miss the games and plays and parties and events in order to live a good life. Both my parents worked shift work and were gone most the time and I appreciate their dedication and commitment to raising us well.