I have been watching the dramatization of the O.J. Simpson trial on television. And, while most of the details of the trial I remember, it is the sub stories of the parties involved that I find most interesting. In particular, the story I now find most poignant is that of Marcia Clark, the lead prosecutor.

I recall how the press massacred Ms. Clark, during the trial, due to her personal appearance. And I remember, at the time, wondering whether the same would be said of a male was the lead prosecutor. In watching the dramatization now, I am most touched by her personal struggles as a single parent and her attempts to balance her demanding job with her role as a mother.   During the trial, some of her child care struggles were made public as her ex-husband sued her for custody of the children citing her job demands as the basis to change custody.

At the time of the trial, I was experiencing similar struggles. My marriage was imploding and I was contemplating returning to the work force--after several years away--as a single parent. I was extremely fortunate at the time to get asked back to the law firm I worked at after graduating law school. They offered me a flex schedule; a combination of telecommuting, working in the city, and in their office on Long island.  This schedule enabled me to have a significant presence in my children’s lives, i.e. PTA president and still be able to secure affordable and skilled child care for my then eighteen month old daughter.

When I watch the O.J. dramatization now, I wonder why I did not relate and sympathize with the common struggles Marcia Clark and I both grappled with at the time. Child care struggles are common to almost all working parents in this country and yet, when a high profile figure was publically struggling with those issues, I do not recall there being much public support for her. Have you had child care struggles?