[remember to scurry on over to this post and enter to win a custom-made superkid cape for a super kid in your life.]

first name: Johanna

age: 36

living situation: I live with my husband and my two year old son.

occupation: Professor

how do you structure your time and space? I work full time during the academic year at a small teaching college and am expected to spend about 40 hours a week on campus. My child attends a nearby daycare.

During the academic year, I teach either one or two nights a week. On those days, I go into work a little later and have some time with my son at home in the morning. Those days are also “Boys’ Nights In,” and my husband comes home from work early, picks our son up from daycare, and takes care of him while I am teaching.

I have about seven weeks off during the summer, four weeks at Christmas, as well as some shorter breaks during the academic year. I spend as much of this time as I can with my son. I also work at home some during these breaks, usually during nap time or after my son’s bedtime.

I often do laundry and other homemaking tasks early in the morning before my son gets up. We also have someone help with cleaning every other week. I like to cook and want my family to have healthy, homemade meals, but that time after work and before bedtime is precious and goes by so quickly. I am unwilling to spend much of it preparing a meal. So, I have settled into a routine of cooking mainly on the weekends so that we can either eat leftovers or out of the crock pot on weeknights.

My husband and I typically have our “date nights” at home on Friday nights, after our son goes to bed. When we go out for dinner or coffee, we almost always take our son with us. We spend so much time away from him during the week, we both want to spend as much of our evening and weekend time with him as we can. We also have a Young Parents’ (no kids) Supper Club through our church that meets every month or two that we love participating in.

using the metaphor of seasons to describe the phases of women’s lives,

-what are the particular challenges and highlights of your current season? Throughout all my years of graduate school and post-doctoral training, I wondered (and worried) how I would manage an academic career and motherhood. Though I have always felt called to my work, I found it very difficult to put my baby in someone else’s care while I worked. Some days, I still do. However, my financial contribution to our family is essential, and I am grateful to have a job that I really like and that makes a difference in this world.  I have also learned that I am not the only one who can love and care for my child. I have been humbled by and am thankful for the wonderful care he receives from his daycare teachers while I am at work. I also think my husband takes a more active role in caring for our son than he would if I didn’t work full-time. Seeing their relationship if a gift that I never expected.

Oftentimes, I wish for more time with my son and more flexibility with my work. However, I am also aware of how fortunate I am to work on an academic calendar. Also, a teaching institution is a good place for me to be right now. The pressure to achieve here is lower than in other places I’ve been, and unlike many other academics I know, I am mostly able to keep my working hours to 40 per week.

I am very selective in the responsibilities I take on. I don’t say “yes” to every opportunity that comes my way. It’s hard, though, to say “no” and deal with others’ expectations of me. I hope that I am doing enough to pull my weight in my department, to be competitive whenever I apply for new jobs, and to make valuable contributions to my church and community.  

I don’t have much time for hobbies and personal interests. I have a closet full of unfinished sewing projects and a long list of books I want to read… someday!

-What season(s) preceded this one? I completed a postdoc at a large, top-tier research university. While I loved the work I did, I didn’t love the pressure and long hours that went along with it.

-What season(s) might your future hold? I don’t know. I’d like to have more time with my son and more flexibility in my schedule. I’d also like to stay in academics. Maybe I’ll keep teaching. Maybe I’ll find a way to go back to research.

favorite family activity/activities: Snuggling on the couch with blankies and reading books together. Taking walks around our neighborhood, while our son rides in his wagon. Using our new webcam to talk to grandparents and cousins. 

favorite solo activities: reading, walking

sources of inspiration: my husband, my son, good books

best MakeShift moment: My husband was running late to pick up our son, and I had a class to teach. So, I took my son to class with me. To the delight of both my son and my graduate students, I lectured with a baby on my hip! This was very unorthodox at my university! 

[if you know someone who would make a good “mothers of invention” feature, check out the questionnaire and nomination process located on the sidebar to your right.]

Tags: boys' night, johanna, mothers of invention, professor, research, saying no, saying yes, teaching

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 28th, 2010 at 8:50 am and is filed under mothers of invention. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.