I always knew that becoming a parent would require a whole load of skills that I wasn’t very practised in. Doing things with one hand for starters. I was entering a brand new world with a new job title, new jargon, new colleagues and a new office space. What I hadn’t realised was that some things I had learnt from my many hours working in an office environment were actually transferable to being a parent…
1 Overtime
Working late and going in early are pretty much par for the course in the parenthood role. Overtime is frequent although can be argued about negotiated with your job share partner. Like most office based jobs, your extra hours will neither be appreciated or rewarded. You once had an inbox that was never empty, now it’s a laundry basket.
2 The Christmas Party
Babies cry, babble incoherently, demand drinks, and are unable to walk unaided. They are your standard office drunk. Only cuter. And ever so slightly less likely to try and grope you.
3 Equipment Issues
The IT help-desk is no longer available to you in your new role. However their standard advice of “turn it off, then turn it back on again” seems to work for your new office equipment such as battery operated toys, the washing machine and the constant re-runs of Peppa Pig on the ipad.
4 Office Politics
Did you think you were leaving behind all of the office politics? The moaning about the boss, the backstabbing about co-workers, the injustice of pay rises. Your decisions being scrutinised by people that quite frankly don’t have a clue. Welcome to parenthood, a new playground of politics. Breast verses bottle, working verses staying at home, dummy verses non dummy. It’s a minefield out here people!
5 Boardroom Negotiations
You used to spend weeks preparing pitches and psyching yourself up for boardroom negotiations. Predicting every question and planning your response. Celebrating your victories with your colleagues. All essential skills for dealing with a toddler. The demands are far more unreasonable, you are given little time to prepare, and their outbursts are not of a professional conduct. They can however be bribed with chocolate and cuddles. And you can have a well earned a celebratory drink after negotiating a toddler out of soft play.
This post first appeared as a guest post for the series My 5 Things, hosted by Motherhood: The Real Deal and Mama Mim.
Haha! Yes, these are all very true – who knew?? #fridayfrolics
Haha! Love this – you’re so right! Many of the office skills are transferrable!
#FridayFrolics
Love it!! Great idea for a post, and all so true-it’s really easy to see how all of those things transfer to motherhood!! I used to be a nurse, so I had plenty of body fluid cleaning up skills under my belt!! However, I still maintain that dealing with drunks in A&E on a Saturday night is easier than negotiating with toddlers!!
#fridayfrolics
Love this! The toddler/drunk person comparison is particularly obvious when they start walking and make incomprehensible demands. #FridayFrolics
So funny! And totally true, especially the bribery with chocolate and cuddles! Haha! Love it! Can I adapt these for my CV?! #FridayFrolics
Haha this is brilliant! Love the office drunk comparison. I worked in a pub so dealing with drunks is definitely something that has prepared me for the tears, mood swings, and randomly falling asleep in strange places that are par for the course with my baby! #FridayFrolics
Love this. I work part time so my struggle is to remember who I’m talking to – colleague or toddler? Sometimes it’s hard to tell! 😉
#fridayfrolics
Yes, yes and yes. Sometimes on really dark days with NG and NC I dream of going back to work in 6 months’ time … and know that I WILL still have the skills to cope! Thanks for the post – made me laugh. #FridayFrolics
Lol love the comparisons between office life and life as a parent. You’ve nailed it beautifully 😉
#effitfriday
Love it!! I only wish I had made it to a management level before I left, then perhaps my two would listen to me? At the moment the boss in this house is definatly NOT me that role belongs to my four year old. 🙂 #FridayFrolics
This is a great list! Overtime and no tea or lunch breaks are the worst though! Well actually Office politics as everyone has an opinion on what is right! #FridayFrolics
Oh this is all very true and funny. Let’s not talk about the unpaid overtime we have to do…… 🙂 #fridayfrolics