After my daughter was born in 2020, I knew after nine months that I was ready to return to work. So it came as no surprise to feel the same way following the birth of my second daughter last year.
Thankfully, I found it much easier to admit to myself how I felt this time. I realised that despite the ‘mum guilt’ about leaving her, being ready to return to work would not make me a bad mother. In fact, I know that it makes me a better one. I absolutely love every second that I spend with my children when I am not working, as well as being able to work hard at the job I love, and trained really hard for.
It is, however, not to be underestimated how hard juggling children and a career really is. As any parent balancing childcare with work will tell you, it is not for the faint hearted. The highs do, of course, outweigh the lows. Nevertheless, the constant tiredness, feeling as though you’re being pulled in different directions and always having a million things to think about (for both personal and work life) are just some of the issues to navigate after returning to work. I have learnt there will always be school events that clash with essential training sessions, various appointments such as dentists, or sudden illnesses thrown into the mix at short notice – all part of the fun!
Every parent is different and will feel differently upon returning to work after parental leave but so many of my contemporaries agree that after months of poonamis. weaning and nursery rhymes, getting back into the office makes a welcome change. Copious amounts of coffee will be needed to get through some days, and you may cry like a baby all the way to work and need lots of emotional support on your first day back.
The skills learnt during parental leave are undoubtedly transferable in my role, and will be for many others too. For example:
Finally but importantly, I have learnt that with the return to work following parental leave, we should feel confident. Confident that we do know what we are doing and that taking the time off to spend with our children is not a weakness, but for the many reasons listed above (and more), it is a great strength to us, our children and our place of work.
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