The stark reality of balancing motherhood and a postdoc is about to hit me like an out-of-control truck. It was all planned. I would leave my toddler at home with his dad while I went on a workshop to discuss climate change and biodiversity. But just as I had successfully worked through the guilt of leaving my child, my partner was offered work in Papua New Guinea, at Aus$700 (US$460) a day for a month. We are both looking for new postdocs next year. He needs the work experience and we need the money. Now my first real academic outing in two-and-a half-years includes an entourage: my toddler and my mother-in-law.

I expect that the next year, and future years, will include similar challenges if I wish to continue down the academic path. So far, I have been lucky. For the past three years, my postdoc has been part-time; I have three days a week to play Earth Mother and be a good influence on my son. My success is questionable, however; I have a child that looks like a cherub but swears like a sailor.

I doubt if this can continue. Part-time postdocs are rather rare. Over the next 12 months I have to find another postdoc, or (gulp), a real job. Or, I need to consider the alternative: more child-friendly career options. I aim to take a Zen approach to 2009, accepting each challenge as an opportunity to grow, while I strive for a happy work-family balance.