Are you a list writer?
In my corporate life BC (Before Children) I was a Facilities Manager and lots of my work involved project management. I was queen of the lists. I was permanently ticking things off my to do list and my other list off delegated to do's!
I think that part of the reason that I was susceptible to post natal depression was my perfectionist tendencies and also the unrealistic expectations I had of being a mum.
My to do lists today are very different than that of my previous life and yes I have a daily list but this is countered by my seasonal manifesto, which encourages a more positive way of living for me and encourages short term aims and goals.
So this is my tongue in cheek to do list for any new parent!
- I must stop thinking that I am in control. I will NEVER be in control of anything ever again
- I must add 30 minutes to any deadline or appointment as we are always late
- I must be prepared to eat my words. You know all that "I am never letting my child have a dummy", "behave like that" or be a fussy eater.
- I must not call my other half Daddy in public (even if I have forgot his name due to sleep deprivation)!
- The five second rule totally rocks
- Do not put the dummy in your mouth before passing it back to the baby once it has been dropped on the floor
- I must not wipe my babies face with spit on a tissue - yuk
One thing that was really important to me when we had Maxi was ensuring that we had ticked life insurance off our to do list (partly as I am married to an accountant, but mainly due to the irrational fear I had that I was going to die)!
So tell me what would you add to my list for any new parent to be?
Oo the control one is great. I'm finding this harder as my boys get older. It's a tightrope between keeping them safe and nagging them to death!
ReplyDeleteI would add relax and enjoy the roller coaster, otherwise there are more Mummy tears than necessary.
Finally...Remember being a parent is THE most important job in the world. I, like you, was all about the career and still find it hard to be at home sometimes. However, my work in the boardroom is long forgotten by companies and colleagues, but what would happen to my boys if I just "quit" and stopped being Mummy one day? Exactly.
Great post :-)