How Working Parents Can Support One Another

Living your values will inspire and encourage others.

by

Stewart D. Friedman

and

Alyssa F. Westring

by

Stewart D. Friedman

and

Alyssa F. Westring

April 17, 2020

filadendron/Getty Images

Summary.

Working parents are hungry for inspiration, connection, and a genuine response during these uncertain times. Now, more than ever, they should be role models for others.

The authors suggest: Identifying the values that are important and incorporating those values into the new normal; being honest and vulnerable with coworkers about challenges and problems; trying new ways of doing things and be willing to revise them or even scrap them altogether if they’re not working; and encouraging colleagues, kids, friends, and family to share their successes and their failures.

As working parents, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by our less-than-ideal options. We’re all hungry for inspiration, connection, and a genuine response during these uncertain times. Many working parents are turning to social media to share how they’re coping — from Pinterest-perfect home-schooling stations, to funny confessions (“We’re just letting the kids watch TV all day”), to the desperate query (“Is it wine time yet?”).

Stewart D. Friedman is an organizational psychologist at the Wharton School. He is the co-author of Parents Who Lead. For more, visit www.totalleadership.org, find him on Twitter @StewFriedman, or on LinkedIn.
AW

Alyssa F. Westring is the Vincent de Paul Professor and Chair of the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship at DePaul University’s Driehaus College of Business. She is the coauthor of Parents Who Lead.

How Working Parents Can Support One Another

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