Explore the site and meet parents like Sharleen and Eric Neilsen, parents of Samantha, 10, and Jack, 7.

"Our family takes up all our time almost to the exclusion of everything else," says Eric.

"Now that's a decision on our parts, not necessarily a requirement. We choose to do extracurricular activities, we choose to have our children entertain their friends on a regular basis with sleepovers, we encourage and support sports like swimming."

The Nielsens are a one-car family. The first stop of the day is to drop the kids off at school, then head to work. Both Sharleen and Eric have full-time jobs.

In fact, they are part of a growing trend. For couples with kids under 18, more than 75 per cent now have two parents working. That's up from 57 per cent in 1980.

Bob Glossop, who studies family trends at the Vanier Institute, says if parents feel more time pressure, it's not their imagination.

"I think it's really getting worse. We've been talking at the institute about it for 15 years. Obviously the time crunch comes to our attention by virtue of a dramatically increased labour force participation rate for women. Women work for a variety of reasons, most often to provide for families," Glossop says.

That's why Sharleen does it. She'd rather work part time, but it's not financially possible just yet.

"We both feel the pressure. Kids do mix into your work day. Between doctors' appointments and sick calls, you're trying to balance that with the 100 per cent you're supposed to give at the office, when the mom inside wants to be home," Sharleen says.

Work and family aren't the only demands on parents' time. Sharleen takes a taxi back to school on her lunch break to volunteer.

"I have a hectic day as it is fitting that in. It is next to impossible. There aren't a lot of parent volunteers," she says.

The Nielsens typically don't get home much before 5 p.m.

Today it's just a quick refuelling stop. Eric makes a snack and Sharleen gets an early look at the homework.

It's a tag-team effort, but sometimes Eric isn't there. His job requires him to travel.

"I had to be there," Eric says of one business trip last year. "It was really stressful. I couldn't contribute, I couldn't help. I was in my meetings taking cellphone calls and all I can do is listen."

Tonight it's a case of divide and conquer. The kids are both in sports, at exactly the same time.

Sharleen takes Samantha to soccer practice. At a gym 20 minutes away, Jack tears up the basketball court. It's parents' night so Eric joins in.

"There's a lot of satisfaction to see the kids grow and develop ... and just have fun. You've given them a chance to be children," Eric says.

But the experts say parents have to be sure they aren't pushing themselves, and their children, too far.

"We live on the leftovers of human energy. We share our tiredness with our loved ones because we're running around on incredibly frenetic schedules. Our kids have incredibly frenetic schedules," says Bob Glossop.

"Our kids need expectations. I'm just worried about the length of the list."

The Nielsens say they have learned to spot the warning signs, like when they snap at each other.

"There are days when it becomes too much. Tuesday night comes and the kids are snapping, we're snapping and we know that we've been pushing too hard this week. So we skip out," says Sharleen.

Recently they took the kids out of school, booked the afternoon off work, and went to see the latest Harry Potter movie on opening day.
It's all part of the 20-year job the Nielsens signed on for. And they're enjoying the ride.

"There are weeks where it feels like the roller-coaster will never stop, still one more loop to go around. But it's fun, even though it's hectic, chaotic, and you rip your hair out," says Sharleen.

"It's fun to see the changes happening daily, and you focus on those."

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