Return to Work

I had a meeting with the new manager this afternoon to discuss my return to work after maternity leave. It won't be for three or four months, but I need to be organising childcare now to have it in place in time.

Things went reasonably well. I can't do less than 0.5 EFT, but I can do two days one week and three the next. And hopefully the two main days are the ones Grace already attends childcare, and Charlotte is on the waiting list. That just leaves one day a fortnight to sort out.

It was quite ridiculous how frumpy I felt. I was very conscious that my jacket didn't quite fit right, and there was a mark on my trousers where I'd tried to wipe off some baby vomit. I feel sure that I'll be able to pick it up again reasonably quickly, but I feel very out of the whole work scene at the moment.

The phrase 'return to work' got me thinking, too. Return to work? What is it I have been doing for over two years? What it really means is, return to regular adult conversation. Return to drinking a hot drink while it is still hot. Return to eating a meal uninterrupted. Return to going to the toilet without company. Return to driving in the car without singing "Baa, baa, black sheep" or "Hot potato".

When it comes down to it, my return to work means earning a salary, and maintaining my skills and professional registration. But the main returning I'll be looking forward to is returning home to see my two little girls. I think I'm going to miss them a lot.