What is it to do in France beside eating and visiting museums?! Touring castles, of course!
France is not all about Versailles, and here is a list of castles worthy of a visit, if you're ever visiting Paris surroundings with your family.
Sunday, November 2, 2014
Life as a researcher...
It's doable! Yes, children do get properly raised by working parents, and can have a normal childhood and adult life when brought up by parents who work and enjoy it! Even if I'm the first to admit that science is not truly compatible with a completely normal life *whatever that means!*.
I thought I'd just put it out there, since I'm surrounded by critics and whingers.
Postdoc complain that they work too much (welcome in science! how delusional can you be that it comes as a surprise?). They seem to imply that they're pulling all the work while students sit on their drunk ass all day long and PIs enjoy their tenured track and celebrate by vacationing on lab's money.
Housewives and part-time working mum think we're monsters to not spend all our time with our kids.
I will not comment too much on one or the other, as I don't have the energy after spending the best of my day juggling between writing an animal ethics modification and planning the next family Holiday (and it's way too hot to argue, damn Australian summer!).
I will however, just state once for good a couple of things. This way, if this post reminds you of some conversation we've had in the past, next time we meet you can avoid the topic and talk to me about your next vacation plans or the new fattening recipe you want to share with me instead?
1- biologists don't have kids by accident. I would not have two beautiful one if I didn't love them. Especially on our salary ;-) That being said, you can have kids if you're in science. I know as many great moms and dads in science than in other fields. If you think that you need to sacrifice your life for science, either you think you're on your way to Nobel Price and cannot be interrupted even to deliver, or you're making fake excuses and need to talk to your partner. Perfectly ok to like kittens better than kids, just be open about it.
2- working mums use their free time to work. You know, your daily hour of yoga and your afternoon tea with other moms? that's when I work, not when kids take a bath or do homework, or build legos, or tell you about their day and their friends, or at dinner time, neither during Spanish lessons or birthday parties. I do rarely (never?) sacrifice time with the kids to do anything for myself.
3- people who "want it all" are the biggest jerks of all time. There is 24hrs in a day for just everyone (maybe not for The Flash?), you're not so special that you can make tons of money, love your job, enjoy life, and have tons of kids and kittens and puppies, and sleep well at night. Except if you marry super well I guess. So much for your "perfect balance". Doesn't mean we cannot be happy being slightly-imbalanced Mr and Mrs Random without being judged from all sides?!
4- Science is a vocation *not a job*, at least in the highest research positions. Fancy to look for a cure to cancer part-time?
A word of caution: When you breathe science full-time, your kids might become a bit nerdy. Be it!
It's doable! Yes, children do get properly raised by working parents, and can have a normal childhood and adult life when brought up by parents who work and enjoy it! Even if I'm the first to admit that science is not truly compatible with a completely normal life *whatever that means!*.
I thought I'd just put it out there, since I'm surrounded by critics and whingers.
Postdoc complain that they work too much (welcome in science! how delusional can you be that it comes as a surprise?). They seem to imply that they're pulling all the work while students sit on their drunk ass all day long and PIs enjoy their tenured track and celebrate by vacationing on lab's money.
Housewives and part-time working mum think we're monsters to not spend all our time with our kids.
I will not comment too much on one or the other, as I don't have the energy after spending the best of my day juggling between writing an animal ethics modification and planning the next family Holiday (and it's way too hot to argue, damn Australian summer!).
I will however, just state once for good a couple of things. This way, if this post reminds you of some conversation we've had in the past, next time we meet you can avoid the topic and talk to me about your next vacation plans or the new fattening recipe you want to share with me instead?
1- biologists don't have kids by accident. I would not have two beautiful one if I didn't love them. Especially on our salary ;-) That being said, you can have kids if you're in science. I know as many great moms and dads in science than in other fields. If you think that you need to sacrifice your life for science, either you think you're on your way to Nobel Price and cannot be interrupted even to deliver, or you're making fake excuses and need to talk to your partner. Perfectly ok to like kittens better than kids, just be open about it.
2- working mums use their free time to work. You know, your daily hour of yoga and your afternoon tea with other moms? that's when I work, not when kids take a bath or do homework, or build legos, or tell you about their day and their friends, or at dinner time, neither during Spanish lessons or birthday parties. I do rarely (never?) sacrifice time with the kids to do anything for myself.
3- people who "want it all" are the biggest jerks of all time. There is 24hrs in a day for just everyone (maybe not for The Flash?), you're not so special that you can make tons of money, love your job, enjoy life, and have tons of kids and kittens and puppies, and sleep well at night. Except if you marry super well I guess. So much for your "perfect balance". Doesn't mean we cannot be happy being slightly-imbalanced Mr and Mrs Random without being judged from all sides?!
4- Science is a vocation *not a job*, at least in the highest research positions. Fancy to look for a cure to cancer part-time?
A word of caution: When you breathe science full-time, your kids might become a bit nerdy. Be it!
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| My parents work but they still take me to the aquarium! OMG! |
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| Wow, seems like kids really hate going to work! The vortex is SO boring! |
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| Yep, that's a neuron tatoo! |
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| Tiare wants to be a marine biologist when she grows up |
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| And it's FINE! |
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