Biography
PURPOSE:
Parenting can be difficult enough on its own, and combining parenting and paid work causes serious challenges for many working parents. Most people I know are constantly searching for ways to add more balance to their home and work lives.
My goal is to inspire and empower others to find ways to do their jobs at the same time that they raise their children—essentially, to parent in the workplace. I also hope to teach businesses about the tremendous benefits for them of helping parents to balance work and family in this way and make it easier for any parent or business who wants to experiment with this option.
This blog will also be for sharing thoughts on raising children, integrating children into society, and life in general.
ABOUT ME:
My name is Carla Moquin. I am raising two young daughters and am amicably divorced.
BABIES AT WORK AND "NORMAL" BABIES:
In October, 2005, while trying to write articles for extra money, I stumbled onto a concept that transformed my view of parenting and work. It turned out that there are dozens of companies that allow parents to care for their babies at work *every* *day* for the first several months of life.
I interviewed dozens of people from these companies and read articles that had been written about individual companies, and I realized that, as a trend, parenting in the workplace was virtually unknown. No one seemed to realize the range of companies--in many different fields--with these programs.
After a lot of research, I found over seventy companies with current baby programs--including credit unions, law firms, a school, design firms, and public relations firms. They all raved about how many benefits these programs had for the company, the parents, the babies, and the other employees. Over one thousand hundred babies had come to work at these businesses, and nearly all of these babies were incredibly content while they were at work.
Something didn't fit. These businesses wouldn't have these programs if they didn't work. But if they did work as well as these CEOs and parents were telling me, that meant that many of our society's assumptions about babies were wrong.
I started to learn about parenting styles and baby behavior in other parts of the world and historically. I discovered that there are cultures in which colic doesn't even exist, and that babies in America cry far more--and for far longer--than is considered normal or healthy for babies in most of the world. As I raised my younger daughter at the same time, I tested what I was learning about how to raise a happy baby while accomplishing other tasks at the same time. My baby also reinforced the evidence that babies are far happier being involved in society than being home alone with a parent all day.
I realized that the concept of parenting while working, and the extensive evidence that it can work incredibly well in our society with babies as well as with older children, has the potential to revolutionize our culture and the lives of millions of families.
FROM BOOK TO INTERNET:
So, I wrote most of the content for a book on babies in the workplace. But life got in the way. I work full time, want to spend as much time as possible with my own children when I'm not working, and am maintaining a household on my own. The process of finishing and selling the book could easily take another year or more.
I turned to the internet to get these ideas and information out now. I want to help other people learn how to bring their babies (or older children) to work. I want businesses to understand how beneficial this can be for their workers and for their bottom line. I want to help them see that employees are more loyal and productive when they feel good about the well-being of their families.
I am interested in hearing stories from other people who have parented while on the job or who are interested in trying it out. I welcome your suggestions and thoughts. I envision turning this into an interactive community of families and businesses working together to break down the unnecessary walls that currently divide building our economy and raising our families.
