Father Knows Best … How to Balance Work and Family

Today, we live in the digital age. We seemingly have an endless series of connections through iPhone, Android, Facebook, Twitter and a never ending stream of emails. When I first broke out on my own, none of these things even existed and yet I was able to function daily without feeling the pangs of withdraw. As a young adult, I figured the only people who used computers were NASA scientist (the real geeky kind). The idea of personal computing and communication through the air was mere science fiction in those days.

Today, science fiction has become reality! Computing in the home is normal and computing at our work place is demanded. However, what I find most striking is the line between our home and work place has become very blurry. There are some people among us who still practice old school behaviors even when faced with a new school work expectations. My father, a Real Man, is one of those people.

Father Knows Best

Some of us can still remember the hit sitcom “Father Knows Best”. The series chronicles a wise family man, Jim Anderson, his common-sense wife Margaret and their children Betty, Bud, and Kathy. Whenever the kids need advice on anything at all, they can always turn to their father, because father knows best!

“Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding.” ~ Proverbs 4:1 (NIV)

Recently my father demonstrated to me (again) an age old wisdom in his daily life. He showed it to me every day when I was growing up and still practices it today. The thought was simple and the actions where powerful!

“When I’m at work … I work. When I’m at home … I’m home.” In other words … Wherever you are, be all there! Don’t split your focus.

Cell Phone Leash

Have you ever been walking through the mall and seen a mother with a child on a body leash. I’ve had various reactions when seeing a child hooked into one of these devices. However, I’ve always understood the benefits of the device. If the child moves … You’ll know it. If the child is needed … You’ll know right where they are. Bottom line … there’s no escape for the child.

Is there a difference between the leash and your cell phone? Do you struggle against the invisible cord like a child trying to break free of the harness? Do you accept work related calls even after you’ve “finished” working for the day? Does your company provide you a phone (or an allowance for a phone) and expect you to answer it at any time? Worse yet … do they expect you to answer at any time even if you’re footing the bill?

Like my father, I have a work cell phone. However, unlike my father, I carry this phone into my home. My father on the other hand simply leaves the phone in his car and ignores it until the start of his next work day. What a unique concept! Not answering, work related calls, when you’re not working.

Work Email

Does work never end? With advent of email, and our propensity to always “have to know” everything as it happens, many people simply can’t wait till tomorrow to check their work email. My father’s solution … he never checks work email at home (I’m not sure he would even know how … but then again he doesn’t want too).

Too many people don’t know how to shut down for an evening or much less a weekend. Sure we make excuses as to why we always need to be plugged in. We rationalize how the office or job can’t survive without our input. But the truth is not many things are going to be solved at 8:00 PM! Why? Because there are still Real Men and Fathers in this world, like mine, who still know what it means when they walk through the door and say … “Honey, I’m home.”

How do you balance work and family? Are you willing to truly focus on your family by being all there? Are you willing to give the same focus to your family and self? Or does your work never end?