by Carla  Herren

No matter whom you support in the 2008 presidential election, you have to admit that we are watching political history unfold before our eyes. What an exciting time that we live in to be able to tell our children and grandchildren that we participated in this incredible time of change. 

You ask how these changes might affect your family and career. Once upon a time the ideal scenario was for the father to work outside the home while the mother stayed at home to care for the children.  With the rising costs of living it now takes two or more salaries to make ends meet.  While juggling the demands of work, daycare costs and the mortgage, this generation has discovered that women are not the only nurturing parent.

Is our society ready to embrace the stay-at-home dad?  Right now the political spotlight is on Sarah Palin, with people questioning how she can manage a demanding job, time away from home and her duties as a mother. How can it all be balanced? I ask where are those questions for all of the male leaders, whether their role is VP of a company or President of the United States?  Male or female, shouldn’t we all have the same balancing act?  Don’t we each have to attend to responsibilities of work with an eye on what’s best for our family?

Child care is a key piece of this discussion. The average cost of child care in this country is $611 a month for one child.  Here are some questions to consider when deciding which parent should stay home:

• Which salary is larger?
• Which job provides better health care?
• Whose career has better long-term prospects?

Are the National Account Managers and Team Leaders of today ready to come home to prepare for tomorrow?  This is a healthy conversation for us to have as a country, acknowledging the need for affordable child care, flex time and telecommuting options.