In article <38lspo$hi6 at mserv1.dl.ac.uk>, Esiobu at bota.ucl.ac.be (Diuto Esiobu) says:
>>Hello ,
>This is my first contact with this newsgroup .
>(politely snipped...)
coped with
>child-bearing,maternity leaves,toddlers and pending research projects whose
>sponsors require a report within XY date.Or even coping with the incredible
>speed of technological advancement.
>>Bye for now till I get a feedback.
>>=46rom:Dr (Mrs) Diuto Esiobu
>Visiting Research Scientist (Plant-Microbe interactions)
>Laboratoire de Biologie V=E9g=E9tale;Universit=E9 Catholique de Louvain
>Place Croix du Sud,4-5, Bte.14
>B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, BELGIUM
>Tel: (32)-10-473465 Fax: (32)-10-473471
>>=======================
Diuto: I guess I qualify as "older" since my kids are almost 12 and 10 and
I have 14 years as a researcher at a National Laboratory in the US behind
me....
We "toughed out" the early childhood years. I was both working and
in grad school on a less-than-full-time basis and had my children while
doing so. I lost 3 years of my life, basically, being "superwoman".
We hired a care-giver for my children who treated them as her own.
She became the young-grandmother to my children; and a mom to me
when I didn't know what to do next. Since my parents were 2000 miles
away, I needed motherly advice from time to time.
In the mean-time, I was all-business at the laboratory, and pretty much
kept my personal life personal; my research as business.
I'd do it the same way again. The few tough years were worth it in the
long run. I'm established in my career; my kids survived despite me;
and my husband and I weathered the threat of divorce after things
calmed down. Life is pretty grand right now for us (Thank God.)
My best wishes to you. It is a tough road, though terribly rewarding
in the long term, in my opinion.
regards.
Janet L. Bryant
Battelle - Pacific Northwest Laboratories
Richland, WA
jl_bryant at pnl.gov
