Recently I had the pleasure of working with a RTWM (Returning-to-Work-Mum) and it reminded me of my own journey in and out of the workforce following maternity breaks.
I will never forget the advice my husband gave me on the morning of my second return, fresh from toilet training our two-year-old son: “Remember, don’t say ‘good job’ when someone comes back from the toilet, and try to sit down when you’re eating lunch.”
His advice was offered partly in humour, but also partly in truth. With a six-month-old and his two-year-old brother at home, there was never much sitting around. Lunch, for me, was often whatever was left on their melamine plates, eaten on the go somewhere between toy trains and dancing to the Wiggles.
For RTWMs, that first day is a scary time as you wonder if the magical motherhood hormones may have completely eroded your brain and abilities to speak like an adult.
Thankfully – as my newly graduated RTWM found – it really is like riding a bicycle (even if the gears are a little clunky at first.) Many RTWMs find that once they get over the first couple of days, not only does the work routine slip into place like a newly oiled cog, you actually perform better, think faster and more creatively, and have a much greater ability to put things in perspective.
That’s not to say that bouts of self-doubt, guilt and OTT critical self-assessment won’t take hold occasionally. They will. For me, and for many RTWMs, the importance of supportive co-workers and partner are critical.
My best piece of advice for RTWMs: don’t try to be the person you were, be the person you have become. (And don’t hand out gold stars when your colleagues remember to flush!)
