To anyone who has ever headed back to work after having had a baby, be warned; this video will bring on the waterworks.
After spending every waking (and, most often, also sleeping) minute of our maternity leave with the baby in our arms, going back to work and leaving him with someone else, be it creche or dad or granny, is hard. So hard.
And much as having a fulfilling job and exciting career is not only financially necessary but also enjoyable to most of us, that does now mean that part of us also would give it all up to stay home and soak up our babies being babies for a little longer.
I remember going back into the office when my little girl was coming up on 13 months. It was terrifying. Much as I knew she would be minded by my mum for the first few months and I was excited to the return to the world of dressy work-wear and press trips and magazine making, it also felt like I was pulled in two different directions every minute of every day. Like I wasn't doing as well as I used to in work because part of my mind was always at home with my baby, and, by the time I got home, I felt guilty because I hadn't seen my little girl for a full 7,5 hours that day.
I think this is a universal state of affairs for us working mums, which is why this video about a new mom’s “performance review” in work hit home for all of us who has been here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rL7lCv7zRE
The sweet video with the oh-so-incredible message comes from stroller company Chicco, and depicts new mum Jessica O’Dowd receiving a “performance review” after working a few months post-baby.
But the review turns out to not be what she thinks it is going to be.
The HR rep sits her down and she thinks she’s going to hear about her job performance, but instead, he plays a video with people in her life telling her she’s doing great. As both an employee and a parent.
Take a moment to wipe your tears, mamas; we know they are there.
This amazing video, one face after another telling a new mum how great she is doing, is what we all need to hear at times, isn't it? To replace all our worries about feeling like we are never enough with the knowledge that, actually, we are doing a great job – and are being appreciated too.
It IS hard being a working parent. There are days when you find yourself having to flee work because creche calls and says your toddler has thrown up all of his dinner and (by the looks of it) parts of his breakfast too. Days when you have to skip out of sports days because you are abroad on a work trip. Days when you are laden with guilt for both shortchanging your boss and your family. It is a constant juggle and sometimes, hearing just how good other people think we are doing, could make the wold of difference.
You rock, mamas.
