By Beth Conway

My husband and I have three kids.

Our first, a girl, was born less than a year after we graduated high school. Surprised and scared, we made it work with invaluable support from friends and family. That, and tunnel vision, helped us do rather than think. It also helped that our toddler possessed the amazing ability to patiently sit through three-hour British Literature classes when scheduling conflicts left us without options (I might add that Beowulf at bedtime works like a charm). My husband and I effectively cruised through our undergrad then graduate school and came out on the other end with a new address, new jobs and a newborn that was suddenly starting kindergarten. These first crazy years were driven by honorable intentions to create a successful, solid and doting family, but in the process we missed moments where our baby blossomed into a delightful, intelligent girl.

We slowed down, regrouped and found jobs with a company that didn’t flinch at hiring an ambitious husband and wife set. When I started my job, extending our little family was part of the picture, but it wasn’t in the immediate future. I was aware of the company policy that welcomed newborns at work, but at the time I paid greater attention to retirement options. Within a few years, however, we found ourselves expecting a boy, and a few years after that, another girl. Suddenly, this company perk had my full attention.

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