Parenthood

Parenthood refers to the roles and responsibilities of adults in raising, protecting, and supporting children as they grow.
It applies to biological parents, adoptive parents, and other parental figures.

Parenthood involves material needs (housing, healthcare), emotional needs (care, attention), educational aspects (values, rules), and social dimensions (interaction with institutions, work–life balance).

Recognising these issues, especially in the workplace or in academic settings, helps create an environment that is more respectful of everyone’s needs and rhythms.

Being a parent means managing many things at once, often without a user manual.
Therefore, at ICube a guide is currently being developed to help parents better understand the different aspects of parenthood, in a simple and clear way.
This guide will explain what parenthood is and provide reference points to better understand this role.
It will also offer concrete, everyday examples, helping parents recognise their own experiences.
It will also present the support available, including material assistance, psychological support, and schemes offered by the university or other organisations.

The aim is to provide a practical resource for all parents, whether or not they have support networks, and sometimes in challenging circumstances. This guide seeks to inform, support, and acknowledge the diverse realities of parenthood today.

A half-day session was organised to meet with parents from the laboratory and gain a better understanding of their daily lives.

These discussions made it possible to gather concrete experiences, address the challenges encountered, and share tips for better balancing professional and personal life.

The parents who took part were able to speak freely about their realities, both the easier moments and the more difficult ones, as well as the support that helps them on a day-to-day basis.

This time for exchange helped build connections, highlight specific needs, and open the door to ideas on how to better support parents within the laboratory.