“I Hate your Job!”-How to balance a Busy Job and still be a great Parent and Partner By Nick Sanders, Office of Admissions at Eastern Illinois University Kelly Brooks, Office of Admissions at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville

Introduction Here is my lovely wife Sparkle and I spending time with her away from the office. She is smiling, happy, and just enjoying life!

This is the look on her face when I am not spending time! She is upset, frustrated and is asking “Is your job more important than me?”

Balancing your job and being a partner According to a survey conducted in the New American Foundation paper titled “The Stress of Work and the Family: The Impact on Parent and Child Health and the need for flexibility” found that 66 percent of men and women would like to work more hours than they would like but have to due to pressure from their employers CNN conducted a survey in 2006, and found that the following information: 33 percent of people check in with the office while on vacation 44 percent of mothers report bringing work home at least once a week 36 percent of fathers bring work home at least once a week According to a poll conducted by MSNBC, 81 percent of Americans said they “were unhappy with their work life/balance”. According to Attitudes in the American Workplace survey conducted in 2004, 63 percent of workers state the job pressures interferes with their personal lives.

The effects on a relationship without proper balance Cheating on one another Constant ArguingInsecuritiesLack of understanding and compassion Communication Issues Bad Sex LifeParanoiaUnable to make decisions as a couple Financial DifficultiesLack of progression in relationship Constant BreakupsDivorce

Ways to help the balance between relationship and work 1.A text message early in the morning 2.A phone call throughout the day 3.Make one night out of the week date night 4.Participate in activities that you would not normally would like to 5.Do not take work home 6.Make a rule about discussing work at home 7.As best as possible, eliminate time-wasting activities i.e. X-Box, Playstation, hanging out at the bar all night, talking to parent/siblings for excessive periods of time, etc. 8.Surprise Gifts 9.Schedule a weekend getaway during the fall or at the end of the fall (non work-related)

Five Love Languages- A Life Saver!