This book addresses the issues of working couples who feel squeezed in a time bind between their responsibilities at home and at work. Despite the growth of "family-friendly work policies," most workers do not take advantage of these policies; they continue to work long hours. (Of course, many workers simply have to work long hours and others recognize that there's no "real" support for taking advantage of flexible work options.) But surprisingly, another reason for spending more time at work was found to be because the overall pressure of juggling home and work has increased the pressure at home to the point where work becomes a place of relief from the home pressures.

When time is scarce, families become fraught with tension. So it's not the parents who pay the heaviest price for this time squeeze; it's the children. This book can be a useful step in establishing an important discussion about priorities around use of time. While there are no absolute answers to this dilemma, every couple needs to make this effort—for the sake of the children.