Father's Struggling to "have it all"

According to a certain someone, I'm not the sweet, generous, accepting Gaia that I used to be... And I think he's mostly right. I've grown a backbone and I've started to take a stand and not meekly give in to whatever capricious whim I'm subjected to.

I do believe in "keeping the peace" and I'm (usually) more than willing to listen to the other person but yes, I am a lot more "aggressive" now :-P. I'm not 100% happy about it... I've grown up in a very civilized home, my parents hardly ever raised their voices when speaking to us or to one another and I rarely remember them fighting. I had an idyllic childhood filled with laughter, good food, lots of books and family that was always there for me and while I would love to provide Baby M with the same comfort and security that I had as a kid, the father's got to play his role too.

Sadly, the scene below is all too common:

"A senior television executive is reading a bedtime story to his eight-year-old daughter. It is 10pm and he has just returned home from work. His phone rings – a work call – and he answers it, leaving the story unfinished.

His daughter shouts from her bed: “You’re a terrible father!” He returns to his daughter and tries to explain, with little success, why the call was important." 

Many men justify their long working hours as wanting to provide the best for their families. Work, however, offers psychological as well as financial rewards – it can be exciting, challenging and provide satisfaction from a job or deal well done. Family life can feel messier, mundane and even boring in comparison.

Perhaps, however, executives struggling with the issue should reflect on the old aphorism: “Work, no matter how stimulating and rewarding, will never love you back.”