``Companies that have multiple locations should be sensitive to this issue and facilitate internal transfers for employees in such situations.''
``Get your name established before you have children.''
``Take turns with your partner on making the hard choices. It's my husband's turn now - he's quitting a great job to move with me, and take a leap into the unknown. We've decided we'd rather compromise our careers than our personal lives. But right now, we have no idea if this is the right decision...''
One mother takes advantage of creative scheduling. She and her husband each work four days a week; she stays home on Mondays, and he on Fridays. They use child care three days a week. Describing her career as on ``the outer periphery of the inner circle,'' she said, ``I feel like I'm treading water, but I like my life...We'll keep this schedule until both kids are in school, about eight to 10 years. This is a rewarding option for both of us, but we must work efficiently and schedule carefully.'' Asked about travel, she said each spouse goes to only one or two conferences a year. Another mother recommends not working past 5 p.m. or on weekends.
One interviewee wants to see more programs like Boston's Parents in a Pinch. Many working parents need emergency child care now and then but have difficulty finding it.