Working parents thread

[Rollem]

bimey i loved the 3-6 months period, i felt much more relaxed about it all and started to porpoerly enjoy beng a mum, instead of bumbling along feelilng my way, as it felt in the first couple of months! lola was more than content, always had been, and it was time when we were able to enjoy eachother fully

it was difficult for me to go back to work, and i would have been happy to stay at home, but i think that was more to do with my lazy gene used to being fairly carefree after a year out of that environment, i was craving the challenge that work brings a little, and it was nice to feel like i had "adult rollem" back too. i would happily give up work now though, that novelty has more than worn off, lol!

 

[Choc]

I think its hard if you need that. There's a certain letting go that you need to do I think. I managed that quite easily but I know it makes many women feel like shit, especially if their identity is very much tied up with work. I'm enough of a hippie (despite having been quite driven and conscientious in my work) to have found slowing down and getting in touch with the essentials of life a really good thing.

hey this whole post is very nice...i agree with particularly this paragraph as its similar for me too.

about lunch..true soon i can;t do it anymore got a little taster friday eve in a restaurant where i had to leave a recently ordered nice meal simply behind in order to leave the premises due to a screaming baby.

 

[Cloo]

It's not that my identity is tied up with work, it isn't at all in my case. But maybe this is not the most fulfilling stage for me. One thing that decided me on going back to work was hearing some people talk about how they couldn't be away from their baby from a moment, or that they totally loved their baby being utterly dependent on them and were sad that stage would end, and I realised I didn't feel like that. Maybe it sounds awful, but that's how I honestly feel about it!

I mean, never mind career, I'd happily give up a couple of days to volunteering of some kind if I could get free childcare in return, but AFAIK no such arrangement exists. Anyone know otherwise?

 

[PursuedByBears]

I'm hoping to change from working five days a week to four when Mrs Bears goes back to work in August. I broached the subject by leaving the guidance on applying for flexible working on my keyboard before leaving for a month's paternity leave and now I'm really looking forward to Daddy-Daughter Day every week

I'm lucky that working in HE there's lots of part-time workers and that men working part-time and doing some childcare isn't too unusual although is rare.

Anyone else thinking of doing this? I don't think any dads have posted on this thread yet?

I would have been happy to take on the majority of staying at home with Liberty but I'm the highest earner so it makes sense for me to do more paid work and for Mrs Bears to go to 2-3 days a week.

 

[PursuedByBears]

I mean, never mind career, I'd happily give up a couple of days to volunteering of some kind if I could get free childcare in return, but AFAIK no such arrangement exists. Anyone know otherwise?

Depends on the type of volunteering you want to do, Mrs Bears is going to train as a peer-support breastfeeding worker in January (training place has free creche) and will then be able to have Liberty with her at work when she's counselling new mothers in the maternity unit at the RLI and at community centres. It's something that our NHS Trust is funding, maybe there's some equivalent support worker scheme where you are?

 

[Cloo]

Interesting, PBB.

Regarding dads, I think gsv will be trying to get a day off when work settles more, he's kind of doing two jobs at once ATM, but hopefully that will settle to him doing the more senior role part eventually, at which point he'll look into flexible working. His priority at the mo has to be getting everything done so that they will give him a settled role, but once that's sorted, his employers are likely to be sympathetic.

I really hope he can get a day off, as I feel so sad for him missing her, as she's usually in bed by the time he gets home.