Balancing Career and Family as Your Children Get Older

Lots of advice for working parents focuses on when children are small, but there are new challenges that arise as they grow up. For example, when your kid enters school, the childcare arrangements you’ve come to rely on often get upended. Prepare for this transition by thinking ahead to (and budgeting for) the new arrangements you’ll need. For example, you may have to secure after-school and summer care months in advance. There will also be situations you haven’t had to deal with yet — snow days, early school dismissals, parent-teacher conferences — so have some backup options, whether it’s nearby family members or a reliable babysitter. You should also cultivate networks of support by getting to know fellow working parents who can share carpool or childcare duties. And develop allies in the office who support your efforts to integrate work and family. Without an effective support network, balancing the two is unlikely to get easier over time.