Publisher's Synopsis
Typically, when a woman thinks about getting pregnant, she considers whether to give up or cut back on her career or use daycare or a nanny. Now families have another alternative - mothers and fathers can share family responsibilities.
Having made almost every pre-baby planning mistake that exists, when Julie Shields became a mother, she did the same thing most other new moms do. She fell in love with her daughter, took on more parenting and household duties than she ever expected, cut back at work, and complained that her husband's life hadn't changed much at all. After noticing that many women felt trapped by the alternatives they saw available to them, Shields interviewed marital counselors, childcare workers, negotiation experts, employers, child development experts, work-life counselors, researchers in many disciplines, and lots of parents, to find out how to create a family balance. She discovered that the happiest families had created personalized work and parenting arrangements that took every family member's needs and desires into account, and did not rely on outdated gender roles, "How to Avoid the Mommy Trap" is the result of all the interviews, conversations, research, and observations Shields made on her journey. It emphasizes real-life solutions and strategies, highlights common missteps, and demonstrates the value of a flexible new paradigm--sharing parenting. Whether you are looking for an equal parenting partner, a way to balance life and family, or just a break now and then, the portraits of couples who share parental responsibilities will help you design the life you want to lead. This is the first book to go beyond analysis to offer life-tested answers for men and women in the twenty-first century. Full of practical and honest advice, it can change your life.
