RE: https://ecoevo.social/@KorinnaAllhoff/113645648783404193
Same procedure as last year?
Same procedure as EVERY year, Korinna.
Oof.
#AcademicParents
PS: As it turns out, I did pack enough diapers and pacifiers and toys and baby food. It all went well. I think my little coworker had a lot of fun during the last days. If anyone wants to hear more about conferencing with a little one, then please DM me for more info! I would be more than happy to share my experiences!
1. the whole trip was only possible because we have the best grandma, who met us in Osnabrück for two days of babysitting. The world needs more grandparents. Many, many more!
My little #coworker and me got invited to the university of #Osnabrück, as guest speakers for the Maryam Mirzakhani Lecture. We are both very excited, because it’s our first trip by train! Let’s hope I packed enough diapers. And snacks. We need lots of snacks. Btw, the #seminar will be about #TheoreticalEcology and also about how to combine family and research. Let’s hope we’ll give a good example… 🙈
On an intellectual level, I do understand that this is phase one of burnout. I know this, because I’ve been here before, a few years back, at the time when K1 was my little coworker and refused to sleep. I also know that most balls are plastic. And yet, not sure why, but I find it incredibly difficult to just stop and relax for a moment. 🤦♀️
Anyways, happy weekend everyone, I hope we’ll all get some rest.
Luxury problem:
I’m sooo tired, because my little coworker is getting mobile and going through another sleep regression, so I should definitely stop working and take a break, you know, to recharge my batteries and stay sane, but my PhD students are all producing exciting new results like crazy, so I can’t stop thinking about their projects, because it’s all so FASCINATING... 🤷♀️
Today is the opposite. The night was horrible, I can’t concentrate, it’s only lunchtime but I’m running out of steam. No idea how to make it through the day. Parenting is such a rollercoaster…
Today my little coworker took a 2h nap and I got SO MUCH STUFF DONE! I guess becoming a parent is for scientists what training at high altitudes is for athletes.
Being a group leader and a parent at the same time is such a crazy rollercoaster. Some days are wonderful, others are hell, you never know in advance and the amplitude is beyond imagination. This message was brought to you by: Sleep Regression. 😴
Haha, I took three weeks off to recharge my batteries (which didn't work out so well because of various winter viruses, but that's another story), and then I felt nervous about going back to work because I was afraid that all my colleagues would have been super productive in the meantime, meaning I would be drowning in work as soon as I sat down at my desk...
Turns out: No. We're all in the same boat. And now we can make a fresh start. Together.
Here we go, first day back in the office after the winter break, finally. Both the number of children AND the number of PhD students doubled during the past year. I guess we’ll soon figure out which balls are glass and which are plastic…🙈
I wanted to get a review done today. But the whole family is still busy with the aftermath of influenza, so instead I made a dragon, together with my half-recovered 4yo, following her ever changing instructions. It can store secrets it its belly. You can open the door at the front. Inside is a tiny piece of paper. When you unfold it, you’ll read „SURPRISE!“.
The review can wait.
#AcademicParents
The winter vacation did not go as intended. First stomach flu, now influenza… but hooray again (and again and again, really, they are life savers!) for having supportive grandparents! What would we do without them, honestly, I don’t know. Happy new year to all grandparents! 🥳
The world needs more grandparents. Many more.
#AcademicParents
Oof. I feel so stressed. So many projects were supposed to be done before the winter break (haha) but they ALL decided to develop a life of their own and haunt me during vacation.
Argh. Sigh.
(But: the biggest goal for this year was to simply stay in the game and keep my group running, together with my little coworker, and we totally nailed that!)
@gkalinkat
👆This. 👆
„The academic structure … makes planning for a family feel like an impossible luxury.“
I’ve been there. It somehow worked out for us, yes, but there was so much luck involved. I wish it would have been easier.
Happy semester start for those who celebrate! The first session of my #ComputationalEcology course went surprisingly well, given all the sickness related chaos in the background. Winter semester with small kids is so much fun, isn't it? 🤧 🤒 😷
I've received another little present from my group to celebrate the start of my maternity leave. Let it sink in. It's brilliant!!! 🤣
(This is especially true for #AcademicParents interested in #AdaptiveDynamics. Yes, I do realise that the target group is probably quite small, but this is so damn funny that I had to post it anyways. I recommend to read "The hitchhiker's guide to adaptive dynamics" in case you want to enjoy an excellent ecoevo/maths paper - see https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/33901766.pdf)
Dear past me, thanks for your wise words, but it’s in fact easier said than done…
24h after the grandparent arrived: the fridge is stocked, the dinner is ready, the bike is repaired and the child is happy. The world needs more grandparents. Many more.
#momademia #AcademicParents #akidemia
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