#139 — Lately I’ve been fielding a lot of questions from people about what to expect in the shift from non-parenting to the parenting world.

Personally, I find it really challenging when people smile at you and say things like, “Wait and see,” or “You’ll get it when you become a parent.” No, thanks—please tell me now!

So for this episode, I decided to dive straight into the daily tangle that is the parenting logistics required of managing small humans. It is in these daily nuances—and the morning pitter patter of tiny feet—that our work lives and our careers begin to explode.

But I don’t think it’s parenting that’s the problem. I think that we’re suffering from an urban design problem, from a lack of steady and consistent child care options, from a radical change in the makeup of what families look like, and from a work world that has slowly encroached to take up nearly all of our available hours yet pay us less over time.

No wonder it’s not working.

If you feel like parenting is driving you insane, or the commute to schools are making you cross-eyed, or if you hear another snide remark from a colleague about how you’re not devoted enough to your job, this episode is for you.

• The nitty-gritty of the morning routines, the logistics of childcare, commutes, and the after-school routines.
• Why school schedules are such a logistical nightmare.
• What’s changed about the American family and why having two working parents changes the game.
• What the work world is asking for, and why it’s designed based on the “Ideal Worker”—A.K.A. a child-free, single, unobstructed male.

Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at http://www.startuppregnant.com/139.