Based on in-depth interviews with 25 families in British Columbia, how do families connect to the labour market and what strategies do they use to help resolve their core concerns about family and work? The interviews highlight the importance of certain family dynamics to effective coping and employability, such as agreed upon roles concerning chores and child care, emotional support within the family, family composition, and the availability of external supports for child care. Each family appears to have a "social bottom line" in attempting to balance its decisions around labour market participation and its family life.