Paul is a 35 year old Dad of three ranging from eight down to nearly two. He works in the travel industry and has recently been promoted to managing director of the UK division of his company. Since becoming a Dad, I've always been as involved with the children in a "hands on" way as far as my time would allow. I love being with the children and caring for them. In previous jobs when my wife was also working, I'd happily step in if our nanny was off sick and get home early if she was delayed or just because there was something special on and I wanted to be there. Practicalities have changed a little bit now, though, as I now have a senior role which doesn't allow me quite so much flexibility and means, in theory at least, I am basically on call all the time. It also involves some travel.

When I agreed to take the new job, we talked a lot about what it would mean for us as a family. As my wife had just decided to take some time off work to be at home, we knew there would be more continuity for the children, but I admit we are still working on managing the reality of being "the boss".

I suppose the way it has affected us most is not so much longer hours, as I usually get home earlier than I did before. Rather it's the unpredictability of being on call and knowing that plans often have to be changed at short notice if I'm needed to sort out a problem at work.

In the last few months I've had to cancel or change several days off which is bound to disappoint my wife and the children (and me!) and cause general inconvenience. I think though, as a family, we're learning not to think of it as the end of the world but instead to make the best of things and to reschedule as soon as possible. It does make us appreciate all the time we do have together. There is a silent "sigh" and a sinking feeling, however, if my mobile goes on a Saturday morning - we all now know what it could mean for our weekend.

We've always made a real effort to keep time off with the children - especially weekends - "sacred". Most of our weekends revolve around them and doing things as a family. This means that, like many young families, our house (which needed a lot of work when we moved into it five years ago) is still far from finished and our home "in tray" spills into several rooms. We're still perfectionists in theory but there simply isn't time for everything and family time must be our priority at the moment. Now that there are more demands on my time and I have less control over it, doing things individually with the children becomes more of a challenge but we try to make it happen as regularly as possible. My eight year old son, for example, is really into sports and activities which are often beyond his younger sister and brother so my special times with him are spent swimming in the "big pool", playing tennis, cricket etc - and just letting him be more grown up with his Dad. This is really precious time and I feel that it's a wonderful investment for our relationship as he grows up.

When I have to travel abroad it's usually only for a couple of nights, occasionally more. I miss my family terribly whenever I'm away and know that the children are never so settled until I'm home again. This makes me feel worse. Again, for us at least, it's a case of doing the best I can in the circumstances and I try to call home when the children are still up and around so I can chat to them too. They have become more used to this pattern now so don't get upset when we talk - it's just nice catching up with their days and telling them about mine. I avoid the temptation to buy expensive gifts from each trip but always try to bring something home just to let them know that I've been thinking about them - and not just work - while I've been away. If possible, I plan a day off soon after a trip away so we can do something special together.

As a couple we've also had to recognise that more seniority and less flexibility can put more strain on us. When I'm late home, or have to postpone a day's leave, it means that the onus is on my wife to put the children to bed or make other plans without me. I try not to underestimate what that means, especially when you're looking after the children full-time already. I often have to spend time in the evenings catching up on e-mails or looking over papers which also eats into out time together. Although it's not ideal and we both moan about it from time to time, we accept it as a necessary evil, trying to make sure that we find at least some time in the evening when we can sit down for a meal and chat before we go to bed.

We also make an effort to go out properly and really relax together on a regular basis - which, as most parents will realise, usually means once in a long while - but the intention is there! Planning and enjoying a evening out together goes a long way towards compensating for all those hours working late, away or in front of the computer at home.

One other thing which we've found helps us in getting the balance right in our situation is talking openly at home about work and about the people I work with. The children know all the "characters" in my office and have met some of them. I love taking my family into the office as a special treat and introducing them to my colleagues. Of course I'm proud of them and they've never let me down yet (although I am careful only to say nice things about the staff in front of them!)

I think it's also good for my staff to see me as a "whole" person in my family situation. Come to think of it, they probably understand me better when they've seen me in action as a dad. It helps, at least partially, to explain the occasional puffy eyelids, snotty suit sleeve, Weetabix shirt and grey hairs!