MyGlasgow News

by Stuart Wilson

Are you a parent and a student or researcher at the University of Glasgow? We know exactly how you feel! Join our new network for peer support and family friendly social events.

My name is Stuart and I’m a second year Postgraduate Research (PGR) student within the School of Physics and Astronomy. I’m married, I have a two year old daughter at home and another one due in October. Some people think I’m crazy!

Everyone has different circumstances. And the idea that life can be planned out in a series of sequential, non-related events is unrealistic for some of us. I wouldn’t change my family life for anything - but it does put me in a tricky situation: I have to juggle the demands of a full time PhD with the challenging job of being a parent. When I wrote a blog post about this back in December, I was surprised to find that there were limited support resources in place for students and early career researchers who also happen to be parents.

As part of that post, I invited people to contact me if they were interested in setting up a parenting network. Fast forward to today and, not only have people expressed an interest in the network, we’ve had a couple of meetings and set up a support group on Facebook. The aim of The UofG Young(ish) Parent’s Network is to provide a supportive environment for parents—and expectant parents - at the University of Glasgow. As well as providing a place to discuss parenting, we are also planning to hold family friendly social events. From undergraduate to Postdoc: if you have young children, we want to hear from you. Don’t be put off by the name—the young part is meant entirely tongue in cheek! We are very much in our infancy, so join up now and have a say in shaping our future.

If you would like more information, you can contact me directly: stuart.wilson.2@glasgow.ac.uk or simply join the Facebook group! I’m looking forward to getting to know you all.

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First published: 2 May 2017