Twice in one month

I know, I know. You've all been staring at your computer screens with your tongues hanging out, waiting for the next post, because that's what kind of loyal fans you are. Your faith in me is about to be rewarded. I'm posting twice in one month.

Lately I've taken some time off from the crazy writing frenzy (though I did attend the most excellent SCBWI editor day this month) both to work on my website and work on my brain. The work on my website is going well. That's partly because I don't bang it against the wall the same way I do my head. Websites just don't respond to ouch therapy.

For those of you not in the know (uh--probably almost everybody), I'm building a site about work-family issues. I'm envisioning a non-profit that takes action to make workplaces more family friendly, and eventually (when the kids get a little older) I'll branch out into consulting. That's right. I bet all you Dilbert fans are proud.

'Cause guess what, world? The workplace is not family-friendly! Shocking, I know. Although there are many, many issues I could discuss, I plan to focus on just five or six at first. Here's what families need: flexible work, sick leave, child care, elder care, parental leave, and most of all, a way to discuss these issues, both inside and outside of work.

Scary thought: Eighty percent of low-wage workers don't have any paid sick leave. So, if they can't afford to take a day off work, many of them come to work anyway. Guess who the low-wage workers are? Food service, child care, and health care workers. Would you like a flu-infected worker to sneeze on your food, your kid, or Grandma? Not good. And if a worker's kid gets sick, too? The kid will be sneezing all over your kid at school. So, needless to say, I'm a big believer in paid sick leave.

Also, since you were wondering about the brain work I mentioned earlier, I'm recovering nicely from my frontal lobotomy, so thanks for asking. And I'm recovering from my self-help books, too. They're teaching me to think happy thoughts. Well, OK, there's more to it than that. But I think they might be on to something. Scalpel not included.