Working Life By Holly Thompson

Find creative ways to stay connected every day.

Different Jobs,

Different Shifts

life is a maratHon, anD Different sHifts aDD an extra cHallenge to parenting.

the TV, and catch up on the day’s events. Whether it is a home-cooked meal or pizza delivery does not matter. What is important is that you are talking, sharing, and caring.

© SW Productions

• Develop a bedtime routine that allows the parent going to bed early to have quality time with the child. In our family, one parent cooks and the other parent cleans. So after dinner, I play with Joshua. They both climb into bed with me for the bedtime Bible story, then we all pray together and sing our special good-night song. This time of sharing and laughter leaves us all feeling close.

• Guard your days off for family time. My family has learned to treasure Saturday and Sunday and reserve this time for each other. If you work on the weekend, find ways to spend time as a family during your days off.

• Plan date nights. Strive for a date night at least once a month. This time reserved for each other is necessary for a healthy relationship that can handle demanding challenges both inside and outside the home. 

THE ALARM GOES Off at 1: 30 a.m. I kiss my sleeping husband and son good-bye and am on the road to the TV station by 2: 45 a.m. The alarm buzzes again — this time around 6: 30 a.m.— when my husband, Lee, and 4-year-old, Joshua, begin their day.

Life is busy for most couples with children, and working different shifts creates even more of a challenge.

TIME-SAVING TIPS

• Run errands during your lunch break.

• Shop for groceries online.

• Divide up household chores.

• Hire someone to clean your house.

• Prepare dinners ahead of time that can be frozen and reheated on busy days.

• Be realistic and prioritize. Do not be afraid to say no to extra activities.

RECOMMENDED READING

• Moms on the Job: 7 Secrets for Success at Home and Work by Sabrina O’Malone (Focus on the Family, 2006)

• Working Families:
Navigating the Demands
and Delights of Marriage,
Parenting, and Career by
Joy Jordan-Lake (Water-
Brook Press, 2007)

Tag-Team Parenting

Split shifts leave many couples doing tag-team parenting. So how can you make it work and work well?

• Designate phone-call times to help the family feel in touch. My son and husband know to expect my call around 7: 30 each morning. This is where Lee and I connect about plans for the day,

and Joshua and I share kisses and hugs over the phone. There is never enough time to catch up if we wait until we see each other face to face.

• Adjust your schedule so the family eats at least one meal together. Sit down at the table together to eat, turn off

Holly Thompson is an Emmy Award
winning television news
anchor at WSMV-TV in
Nashville, Tennessee. She
and her husband, Lee, have
one child and teach 11th
grade students at Long
Hollow Baptist Church in
Hendersonville, Tennessee.

MARCH 2008 PARENTLIFE 43