Work is important. But family must come first. We’re all trying to get that balance just right. It’s not easy, but it’s essential.

When I started in policing, with my first child, I thought the most important thing was to work hard, long hrs and bring home the

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I would work all the overtime going. I did my PSU L2 so I could police the protests, deploy away from home, mutual aid. Took on temporary promotion, went in earlier and got off later.

My kids didn’t have a clue (or care) how much I brought home. Only that I wasn’t AT home.

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Over a decade later and I’m playing catch up. The more you earn the more you spend. It isn’t important really. If it’s a toss-up between cutting back / having more time with the ones who truly make you happy, then it’s a REALLY simple decision.

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If I could speak to my younger self, I’d tell me to delete the ‘overtime’ chat group back then and create a ‘family’ chat group. Your wage will increase over time, but your time will run out sooner than you expect.

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I don’t take OT nowadays. And I’d encourage younger in service cops to take a step back, get some sleep and don’t wish away your future and just re-assess what’s really important to you.