Six lessons I’ve learnt as a working mum

AS Nicole Thomson-Pride discovered, not all of the cliches about working mums are true. In fact, she says going back to work has made her a better parent.

Insights from a working mum

RECENTLY I celebrated my first anniversary as a working mum. There was no cake, no candles and no champagne but I did give myself a big pat on the back.

My little boy was just seven-and-a-half months old when I swapped my baby carrier, tights and runners for corporate attire, heels and make up three days a week, and life hasn’t been the same since.

Recently, after getting home from work and putting my son to bed, he started vomiting. There I was standing in the bathroom, dressed in my corporate attire, holding my sick toddler while vomit was going everywhere.

It was a far cry from the role I’d been in just a couple of hours earlier — as a marketing manager working on strategic plans.

It’s been a steep learning curve, but now I can switch between being a mum, to an employee and then back to being a mum again at the drop of a hat.

Here are some other things I’ve learnt in the past year:

1. YOU CAN STILL SET BIG GOALS FOR YOURSELF

When I first spoke to a recruiter about returning to part-time work as a marketing manager, she told me she doubted I would find such a position. So I found a new recruiter. In a short time I had not one but two interviews for part-time marketing manager roles. I also returned to studying my masters last year.

Yes, I’ve had a baby. But I still have goals and dreams, and I’m going after them.

Nicole Thomson-Pride says just because she’s had a baby doesn’t mean she’s let go of her dreams.

2. YOU CAN BE A GOOD MUM AND A GOOD EMPLOYEE

When I’m with my son we have a lot of fun. We play, we ride miniature trains, we visit parks, we read and we hang together at home. When I’m at work, I devise strategic plans, I write content, I manage our brand and I research competitors and the market.

I’m not sure why some people think you can’t be a good mum and a good employee. I give both my absolute all. Take my word for it: you can be good at both, even if being a mum sometimes impacts your ability to make it to work.

3. WORKING MUMS ARE NOT WALKING ZOMBIES

Let’s drop the perception that all working mums — and all mums in general — are these sleep-deprived walking zombies struggling to make it through the day without litres of coffee. Not true. Being a mum is demanding but not all mums continue on a sleep-deprived path after the first few months of having a baby.

When I rock up to work, I’m alert, I’m energetic, I’m ready to knock off some serious tasks. Sure, I have the odd day where I’m so tired and exhausted, but don’t we all?

4. YOU CAN FIT ANYTHING IN YOUR HANDBAG

When you’re a working mum you learn how to strategically pull out a wallet. Because your child pretty much has 50 per cent entitlement to EVERYTHING that’s yours. Think food, drinks, snacks … and your handbag.

Somehow (don’t ask how) the handbag I take to work has in it a spare nappy, some pieces of Lego, a few rubber bath toys and some baby wipes. This means trying to pull my wallet out in front of colleagues and strangers must be done strategically to make sure a nappy doesn’t come with it.

5. TIME MANAGEMENT IS EVERYTHING

Whether you have a child or not, efficient time management is important. And sometimes at work you just have to stay back to get a job done. But here’s the thing, my son’s day care closes at 6pm. No ifs, no buts. That means no matter how urgently a job needs to be done, I can’t stay back to finish it. (Sorry!) But it does mean that for the hours I’m at work, I get stuff done. I have to.

6. WORKING HAS MADE ME A BETTER MUM

I love my career and I really enjoy working three days a week. I understand it’s not for every mum, and that’s OK, but it is for me. Working provides my life with balance, which means I’m more relaxed, patient, happier and focused at home. That’s why working makes me a better mum!