As I’m writing this, I’ve official been back in the world of work for 3 days and although it hasn’t been long, I can honestly say that I love it. The company, the people and the job are all fab.
I’ve been very lucky with the fact that I didn’t need to go back to work straight away after having Grayson, and now that I have gone back to work, Grayson is 15 months old so I’ve been extremely lucky. I had always said that I’d look to go back to work after Grayson had turned 1 and Mark and I had gotten married, and after our honeymoon I started hunting for jobs straight away.
Although I wanted to start earning money again, I didn’t want to take just any old job and so only applied for jobs that:
1. I knew I was suited to and
2. Had suitable hours for me to still be a mum to Grayson.
After applying for a few different ones, I finally heard back from an incredible organisation who offered me an interview. Although I didn’t get the job I initially interviewed for, they offered me a position better suited to me, which I jumped at the chance of having!
So I accepted the job, and then it was on to trying to sort childcare for Grayson. Again, Mark and I are so lucky that we have such supportive parents who love us (and especially Grayson) who were willing to help out. The fact Mark works for such a lovely and flexible company was also a huge help incase parents weren’t available.
So it finally came to going back to work, and although I was slightly nervous I actually found I wasn’t as nervous as I used to be when I’d enter a new job. I think this is something to do with my mindset changing since being a mum, I don’t know how to explain it but it just meant I was much more relaxed about going to a new company.
Although I missed Grayson terribly (I always do when I’m not with him), because I’ve had days and nights away from him in the past, a few hours out of my day wasn’t actually as bad as I thought it would be. It is strange going from being “mummy” 24/7 for over a year to suddenly becoming Ashleigh again, and it’s something that is going to take me while. I do think that getting some sort of balance between the 2 again will really help me try to remember who I am though, as this is definitely something I struggle with.
It’s so difficult trying to find that right balance and then getting the mum guilt about whether you’re doing the right thing for your kids. It really is just trial and error though, if it doesn’t work then look and see what you can change. For example, I’ve already changed my hours that I’m working to be better suited for not only Grayson and his grandparents, but for me and the organisation I work for. It’s all about trial and error! Obviously not ever company is so flexible, but it’s still worth seeing how much flexibility you do have.
So although we’re finding our feet currently, I’m confident in a few weeks we’ll all be in the swing of things and as long as Grayson is happy then so am I!