Welcome to the 'Secret Diary of a Single Mother', one of my regular ramblings
...Enjoy the first entry...
This is it! I am taking the plunge back into the work force.
My plan for maternity leave and what was to come after the birth was as simple as- "There is no plan". I definitely wanted to spend as much time as possible being a stay-at-home-mother and getting in that quality, carefree, relaxed time with Stella while she was young. For me, it was important bonding and 'discovery' time. There were many stages when being at home would make me feel very restless and frustrated...but once a bit of routine was established I began to settle in and be comfortable with my days at home with Stella. The restlessness sneaks back up when she isn't with me, those 3 days a fortnight that she spends having Dad and Daughter time are 3 very long days. I need to keep as distracted as possible to keep from missing her (Yeah right, as if i'm going to stop missing her!) and that is how I made the decision to return to work on those horrible 'baby-free' days.
So...In 2 days time I will be getting up to an alarm rather that a blabbering baby, putting on shoes rather than fluffy house socks, leaving with a light handbag rather than one weighted with toys and nappies, grabbing a coffee rather than a rusk stick. And I couldn't be more nervous! I'm worrying about what to wear, worrying about making small talk with customers, worrying about how much knowledge I have retained in my year off, worrying about everything! I am worrying that I will be physically and mentally exhausted and that this will effect my mood at home. I am worrying about BALANCE. How do you create the perfect balance? What is the perfect balance? Basically, there is not a thing I'm not worrying about.
If you have any stories you can share with me on your own experiences regarding return to work I would so enjoy reading them, perhaps it will provide me with some insight and reassurance. After my first day back, which I am sure that I will enjoy like crazy, I'll continue sharing my journey on the 'tackling of balance' with you!
Wish me luck!
Goodluck :) I think that first day is definetely the worst, once you get there you'll probably feel like you've never been gone. I also don't think there is a 'perfect' balance, you just do the best you can and know when to ask for help :)
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