Should one parent stay home with a young child? How many hours does a job require? How does a couple find time for themselves?

Young Macalester parents are wrestling with age-old questions of balancing work, life and child rearing.

Kara Fiegenschuh McGuire '98 is a producer on American Public Media's personal finance public radio program "Sound Money" and writes "Pay Dirt," a weekly column for the Minneapolis Star Tribune about personal finance issues facing people in their 20s and 30s. She is pictured with her husband, Matthew McGuire '97, and daughter, Charlotte.

by Kara McGuire '98

a good role model | the winnner is | finding time for two | what life if all about

After my daughter Charlotte was born, my husband said I'd found a new hobby: over-analyzing my work schedule. Do I work too much or too little? Are three long days at day care better than five half-days? Can we afford for me to quit working or do we rely on my salary for things that matter? Do I even want to quit?

While becoming a mother has been one of the most gratifying and meaningful of life experiences, the struggle to balance work that I enjoy with the family I enjoy even more is ever-present.

Like the diverse group of college students we once were, there's no one-size-fits-all solution for balancing work and life for young Macalester parents.

Weeknights at the home of Pamela Gozo '97 and Patrick Gutmann '96 in Chicago are busy. While one makes dinner, the other is playing with 1-year-old Noah. After dinner, Pamela runs the tot's bath and then Patrick puts him to bed. "Dividing up responsibilities makes things run a lot smoother," says Patrick.

But this sort of hustle is nothing new to this family. "Both of us were extremely busy when we were at Mac so we both had to be pretty organized," Pamela recalls. This organization is what makes it possible for both to work demanding jobs and still find time to spend with Noah and each other.

more »