Some of the articles of interest to working mothers that we’ve seen around the web recently…
- Two takes on the recent Pea in the Pod “Wake Me Up When I’m Skinny” t-shirt controversy: Jezebel calls it (and its price tag) outrageous, while Good Enough Mother doesn’t see what everyone’s so upset about. What’s YOUR take?
- Working Moms Against Guilt rounds up six ways for working moms to fit in summer family fun.
- Pondering becoming a SAHM? Forbes looks at how alimony reform is affecting how that decision might play out if you get divorced.
- Whether you have a toddler or a teenager, the same looming dread is there: college (and particularly, how you and/or your kiddo will be paying for it). The WSJ looks at the “significant” way college will be changing in the next 15 years.
- The NYT’s Motherlode blog ponders the implications and necessity of school dress codes, particularly for girls.
- What if you have kids, or you’re pregnant (or both), but a close family member or friend is struggling with infertility? AlphaMom has some thoughts on the do’s and don’ts of maintaining the relationship.
Make sure to check out this week’s news update over at Corporette!
On Corporette Recently…
- Corporette’s Summer Associate series delved into business lunch etiquette, and — while it’s directed at summer associates — the post offers tips that anyone can use.
- Sally McGraw from Already Pretty guest posted on how to dress for a presentation or TV appearance.
- The blogger behind Well Heeled Blog guest posted on making the decision to go for an MBA.
- Kat’s friend Mindy Barry guest posted on leaving a company town and job-hunting in a new city.
Shay-La says
06/20/2014 at 1:26 pmI’ve had a lot of people touch my belly while I’m pregnant–and one of my guy friends loves to commiserate with me/make fun of people who do that (My favorite come-back is to rub their stomach back…it makes the point clearer than any explanation). He sent me this today, I thought it was a really good and concise set of rules for guys… http://dappered.com/2014/06/how-to-talk-to-a-pregnant-woman/
Lawmom says
06/20/2014 at 2:16 pmI work in a small law firm (5 attorneys), and we recently discussed our maternity leave policy. I don’t get the sense there are many small firm attorneys in this forum, but just in case – any small firm attorneys willing to share their firm’s policy? I am curious to know what others are doing. Thanks!
posey says
06/20/2014 at 3:25 pmAnother small firm-er here. I got six weeks paid (some from disability insurance and the firm paid the balance of my full salary) and six weeks unpaid. I ended up taking two additional weeks (I think they would have let me take more unpaid time off as long as it was reasonable – i.e., I could have probably taken an additional month off, but not an additional 6 weeks).
What is your firm doing?
sophia says
06/20/2014 at 4:58 pmI’m a small firm lawyer (6 lawyers). I’m the first pregnant employee they’ve had, so they crafted the policy for me (which left me up in the air for a while). I am getting 8 weeks of leave at full pay. I have three weeks of vacation time I’ve been hoarding, but they’re not really open to me tacking on an additional three weeks since they said 8 weeks is all they can spare. My plan is to see whether I can space out my vacation days so I essentially work three days a week for a number of weeks after I return. I tried to suggest a work-from-home arrangement to extend my time out of the office for a few weeks, but that didn’t fly either. While I’m surprised and appreciate the full pay, I’d been saving in anticipation of no pay and would really rather have more time off with my baby than to rush back so quickly. Of course, since we’re not covered by FMLA they didn’t have to offer me anything more than short term disability in any event, so I guess I should thank my lucky stars I have some additional time and a job waiting for me.
posey says
06/26/2014 at 9:40 amNot sure if you’re reading this still, but I did the whole part-time thing for a month and while it was nice to spend that additional time at home, the problem I ran into (and it sounds like you’d run into the same problem) is that I don’t really have a part-time job. So I have work to do, and it’s just not getting done because I’m not there to do it. Not everyone would be OK with blowing off assignments for a few weeks (assignments that aren’t time-sensitive so they can be blown off, you just need to be able to do that mentally), so know that about yourself. If you are like me and are fine blowing off work for a little while then the takeaway is that it’s a great system for a month or so but definitely not sustainable. It’s probably going to be a few weeks before I’m really on top of my workload again.
Attorney says
06/21/2014 at 1:54 pmI work part time for a large firm and get no paid time off but was generously given 4 months unpaid, which I am happy to spend with my baby. My husband works for a small firm (consulting, not law), and he gets 8 weeks paid time off. However, my husband is only taking 4 weeks and then working flex-time for another 4 weeks. His firm just designed the policy with 3 fathers having babies this year, no mothers have used the policy yet but I think they would get the same 8 weeks (paid).
Lawmom says
06/23/2014 at 9:19 am@Attorney – your husband’s firm sounds great! We are talking about 3 weeks paid, and a total of 8 weeks leave. Also going to offer short term disability coverage. The policy was discussed in the context of staff, so it may be different for attorneys.
Susan Wenner Jackson says
06/21/2014 at 10:37 amThanks for mentioning my article and linking to our site. I look forward to reading more of your content and connecting in the future!