The twin challenges of fatherhood and work
Jake Rusznyak is a creative at The Monkeys and a multi-tasking father of twins. He’s come to appreciate that while work/life balance is impossible, you can learn to thrive in the chaos. This article first appeared on Gabberish, a monthly online journal.
The last time I was asked to contribute to Gabberish, I was sending a video message to my kids who were almost asleep, reading the email in the back of a cab at some ungodly hour on the way back from a shoot. My immediate response: “Yadda, yadda, yadda, regretfully, too busy”. Probably with a few harried typos. Also, I’m an art director, not a writer. Why ask me to write something?
So, when the latest request arrived and I was again in a cab on the way back from a shoot at another ungodly hour I couldn’t help but chuckle at the universe’s sick sense of timing. My family were waking up throughout the night from jetlag, I was in the midst of a four-day pitch, had multiple other projects ramping up around me, life admin issues coming out of nowhere, I was limping towards Christmas burdened under a tsunami of shit. It was the worst possible time to ask.
But this time the brief was “work-life balance”, and I got to thinking: in the eye of a perfect storm, could I see clearly?
I loved this read! So refreshing.
So refreshing to read a piece like this. Thanks for the share Jake.
Should be sent to every agency, and hung on the wall. Might need to be edited down though, we’re busy in there you know.
Wonderful article and thoroughly enjoyed reading it! Had a good laugh at your son’s skirt debacle!
With regard to workplace flexibility and et al – agreed with you 100%. Its high time advertising agencies accepted that we are humans. After much push back and debating, I have been given once a fortnight to work from home and have been constantly since reminded that it was a ‘privilege’ the company was giving me. This is in spite of them seeing how my productive level jumps up when working from home!
Great read. The sooner we see all parents regardless of gender as equal, and start placing true value on the role of shared child rearing in the workplace, the sooner we’ll reach an all round equality.
I loved reading this! So real and relatable and refreshing to hear your approach.
I feel you bro!
Great article thanks for posting! No better negotiator than a 5 year old! Looking after one for a week should be essential training for any media / advertising professional.
Wonderful Jake. What beautiful insights into what really matters!
Honest and invigorating read. Your underlying message expands outside of Fatherhood and should be relatable to everyone, whether they have children or not. Good, motivated staff will perform given freedom and autonomy and you shouldn’t be judged for hours at a desk. The most productive people have full lives and know their boundaries. We work to live, not live to work.
I loved reading this, brilliantly
Thanks for taking the time to write that fella. It was a good read and spot on for me.