PhD Mum

The short answer is YES, you can! I know so many fabulous people that balance study and parenthood like absolute legends. Don't get me wrong, it is not an easy journey. But it is completely do-able! It's mainly about deciding what works for you and your family. Think of the study as a job, and you will almost certainly pass.  If you are considering a PhD, I thought it might be helpful to describe what my worries were before I started. They can be broadly grouped within 3 domains: work/life balance, money, value. Work Life balance: do I have time for a PhD? You will find there are times when you have to focus on studying (e.g. If you are recruiting or running experiments) and have to be in the office/lab. There are other times that are much more flexible. For this reason you can find you can work in the office less frequently than a standard 9-5 job (and a PhD is a job) -   @mother_pukka  talks about "flex appeal", and a PhD is the ultimate in this. It is ...

It has been ages since I have written a post. I have been so busy with other things and finishing my thesis that I haven't had the focus or interest to write anything; that was until I went away to a work conference. It's so interesting to hear other people's views on parenting. I don't think any are right or wrong, just a different perspective to mine. Whilst away last week, I was talking about my son. I am used to the "don't you feel bad leaving him, I bet you miss him" comments (I don't recall anyone asking the men at the conference if they felt bad leaving their children whilst at work). But during one of these such conversation, I had said that my son was at home with his dad and I was told how much of a brilliant dad he is for doing that. It seems funny to me that someone would be branded "brilliant" and get a parent of the year award for simply flying solo with their child whilst the other parent is at work. I responded that he wasn...

I started this blog about 12 months in to my PhD. My monster was turning 2. My mental abilities were returning post-sleep deprivation. As a new mum, I would look at this blog/instagram/Facebook malarkey and wonder why someone would even bother taking the effort of doing this, given the demands of being a mum. As a PhD student, I would think the same. It is time consuming, especially when there is a thesis to write! Here are a few reasons I did: 1. Returning to the PhD after being mum, I felt a sudden lack of confidence. In my ability as an academic and generally as a writer. The process of writing the blog, however imperfect the spelling/grammar/style really helped me to get back onboard with the writing process. This reason alone has made blogging worthwhile. 2. I don't really write with the idea that loads of people will read it, or to provide lots of advice, but the process for me is very cathartic. A psychological break from the daily grind. I hope that somewhere, a mu...