The weekend is coming and that would be my last weekend before going back to work. I’ve been on a maternity leave now for a year and two months. During this time, I’ve discovered me as a mother which has been a huge, internal change for me but now it’s time to combine work and maternity. At least now, it doesn’t feel like an easy task. I realize that my free time would be next to nothing, working at work, working at home in evenings and on weekends, constantly scheduling and organizing. I’m a bit concerned about how I will perform. However, I’m willing to give it a shot and I’ll try my very best. After all, the longer I stay at home, the more difficult it will be for me to return and start this new period of life.
The other thing that concerns me is that my work team has changed by 100% while I was away. My boss shifted to another department, my closest colleague received a job offer and moved to another city and there were some other organizational changes that I won’t discuss now. The whole team is now totally replaced and there are two new colleagues waiting for me to return. I work as a development engineer in a production atmosphere and my work is often quite challenging and hectic (sometimes, it's a hell on earth). I wouldn’t want to sound arrogant but I’ve understood that they are waiting for me to return as I am the most experienced one. It rather puts me under pressure as they expect me to save the day. I’ve been working there only for three years and spent the first year writing my master’s thesis, so I’m not actually that pro. And now, I’ve been on maternity leave for the past year. So, a lot of pressure now.
It certainly would have been easier to return to a familiar surrounding especially now that there are many other big changes happening at the same time. Luckily, as a person who lived in different countries and moved a lot as a kid and as an adult, I usually adapt well to new situations.
There is always a bright side and in this case, there is many. I didn’t really like my previous boss, so that’s a plus that he won’t be there. He is a good person but lacks management and leadership skills. (Don’t worry, I’ve told him that, so he won’t have to read it from here. :) If he ever joins Steemit... ) Another thing is that I’ll have more of an adult company during the day, I’ve missed that. I’ll work 80% of normal work hours which makes it four days a week, and I’ll have one day to stay at home. I hugely appreciate my employer for this possibility.
I think I’ll cherish and appreciate my days off even more and give my entire attention to my little one. Why do we start to appreciate valuable things when we lose or about to lose them? Well, I did enjoy my time at home as much as I could and kept in my mind that this time is not for forever and it will pass in a blink of an eye. Even when it was hard.
My husband will also shift to 80% workhours so he’ll be able to spend more time with our son too, which in my opinion is very important. Our son will be also spending time with his grannies, which benefits them all and strengthens the bond between grannies and our kid. In addition, the last but not least, our kid will start in kindergarten. Even though I’m a bit restless about how he would adopt there, I think that it will benefit him. He is such a smart kid, so active and willing to learn that he will absolutely enjoy being there after he gets used to it. Children are very adaptive after all.
Big changes and probably for the better. I must admit, I’m slightly excited. I’ve already refreshed my hair color, organized the next week, prepared my working clothes and everything for the kindergarten. We’ll see how it goes.
Wish me luck! :)
Lindiry
