DentaltownUK Winter 2017 - 45

recall having more than 20 appointments a
month for a period of time before he started
nursery. Gregor continued to work full time
in a local practice.
In finding a work/life balance, I have
learned a few lessons over the years. The
most important advice is that there is no
one-size-fits-all formula for any family.
Comparing yourself to others never works;
you have to find what works for you, because
every family is unique. Take time to design
your own work/life balance and don't be
afraid of being judged about it.
When I researched work/life balance of
parents with kids with a learning disability
,I couldn't find a single positive article.
I trawled through quotes such as "Work
at the University of Ottawa studied 197
employed moms of kids with special needs.
She found that 40 percent of these mums
had switched jobs, reduced hours or refused
promotions because of their intense parenting
responsibilities."
This has driven me to write an article
with a more positive outlook. Work/life
balance is constantly evolving. This is very
appropriate for our family, because we find
that as soon as we've created a "balance" that
works, the tide can shift and we are working
at rebuilding it.
When both boys went off to school, we
revisited what we wanted to achieve professionally. We are both passionate about our
careers and spend a significant amount of time
out of the country on our chosen interests.
Gregor chose to develop skills in oral
surgery and implantology. He is back and
forth to Nottingham on courses and now
working with The Campbell Academy.
I have developed an interest in orthodontics and have undertaken a year course with
the IAS academy in London and am now
working for them. Gregor has recently taken
a position in a specialist oral surgery/implant
practice, which is too far to commute. As a
result, he works three long days a week and
is away during this time.
This job was important to him and his

career, so we have been working on adapting
the balance once again to make this work for
us. It is hard work when he is away and the
boys do miss him, but quickly forget about
it when he picks them up from school on the
days he is home. We have a rule between us
that we are not both away, either working or
on a course, because we believe this would
disturb the balance for the boys.
We work hard at trying to integrate our
passions of work and family life. Gregor and
I don't work weekends and try whenever
possible to keep studying and treatment
planning to a minimum. This is our family
time, and we support both the boys on the
sidelines of their respective rugby pitches.
We schedule time off together at the end
of each school term and ensure a two-week
holiday during the summer break. We both
believe that two full weeks together gives us
time to recharge and get some quality time.
Reflecting on my thoughts about the
future 10 years ago when Callum was born,
I have realised that change is inevitable
and the only true constant in life. Fighting
change was not conducive to our happiness,
so we have learned to embrace it and make
changes work for us.
Life can set us out on a different path
than we anticipated, but it's about how we

adapt and making the most of our new route
that will give us the most fulfilment. I can
say with my hand on my heart that there
isn't a day that goes by that Callum either
exceeds my expectations or has me in fits of
laughter with his mischievous antics.
Some of the challenges we have faced have
made us stronger, and dentistry has given
us the flexibility to achieve the balance that
works for us as the tides change. ■

dentaltownuk.com \\ WINTER 2017

45
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of DentaltownUK Winter 2017
