Doing it for the kids

Over at the wonderful Denver Egotist they’re debating the pros and cons of balancing an ad career with having kids.

All the arguments are in there (and the comments section), but I might as well stick my own dreary oar into the water.

As someone with a couple of young kids, I can say that becoming a parent does change your attitude to work. Of course it does. It puts things in perspective; it makes you realise that the logo size on a 25×4 ad for chicken fillets is about as important as one of the farts you did last August, and it stops you thinking that the best thing you’ve ever produced is a pencil-winning print ad for tampons.

But then for some people this isn’t the case. They want to further their careers, and whether that’s for themselves or so that they can pay the school fees for Jonty and Charlotte, it means that they see less of their kids than perhaps they should (and who is to say how much one should see one’s kids?).

So you pay your money and take your choice.

Currently, advertising is quite demanding on the time of someone who wants to be a grande fromage, so if that’s your aim, you do have to decide. However, I think it’s perfectly possible to do well enough in both that neither side feels let down. You may not be parent of the year or ECD of a demanding network agency, but you may well be all the happier for it.

And for further, more definitive advice, check number two on this list.