HAPPY NEW YEAR DEAR FAMILY AND FRIENDS!!!! It’s been a while since my last entry mainly because I started a full time job in November. So far, it’s been very exciting and interesting, and I don’t regret the transition at all. Having said that, I am very grateful that I had the opportunity to take up consulting work for six months. It gave me wide exposure and flexibility with my time that I would not have had with a full time job. It also allowed me to pursue interests and classes that I could not have were I desk bound. For that I am truly thankful.
The past two months have indeed been very interesting. When I shared my news with some family and friends that I went back into full time employment, the top two questions I received were, “So? Do you have better hours than your previous job? Do you get to spend more time with your baby?” And then I have to explain that no, I was under no misconception that I would have better hours. In fact, I started the role knowing that the hours would be long. But I believe that in any situation in life, if you are in the position to do so, in order to find meaning in Work, there should be a delicate equilibrium of not only toiling but also learning. I am also of course very grateful that I was offered this opportunity to pursue my passion in marketing & communications.
Working full time has actually made me a better manager of my time. Every minute, every hour is precious. From the half an hour I spend with E-Man in the morning to the few precious hours (if any) I get to spend with him in the evening. In fact, I feel that now that I work full time, I actually spend more quality time with him than before.
So how have I been managing my EXTREMELY active toddler during the time that I have with him during a busy work week? Honestly, it has been a walk in the park.
Really? Yes. Literally. We try to go to a nearby park a few times a week for an hour each time. One thing I want to say is that I feel so blessed to live in Singapore – where walking in a public park at 9:30 pm feels no less safer than walking in the park at 9:30 am. We mainly go to Bishan Park weekday evenings and then maybe the Botanic Gardens on the weekends. During this time we play catching, throw balls and talk to other park-users. There are joggers, dog-walkers, dancers, sword-fighters and many, many other children. I’m going to write a separate post about our time in the park because it truly is a quintessentially Singaporean experience and one that I would like to document and share. After all, it is an experience not many other people in other parts of the world can understand.
Apart from walks in the park, we visit the various shopping malls after dinner, read books together, play hide and seek and, another personal favourite, throw baby dance parties! Baby dance parties are a lot of fun. It’s when we blast pop music and dance our hearts out in the living room. E-Man goes nuts, he loves it and I must admit, so do I!
Figuratively speaking, it is not a walk in the park balancing work and baby. It takes discipline and hard work and more energy than you know you have. There are other times I work late and miss his bedtime, go out with friends or hole myself up in my room watching YouTube videos. But we try to spend time with him – and as the great philosopher PINK once said:
“You gotta get up and try, try, try
You gotta get up and try, try, try
You gotta get up and try, try, try”
And that’s what matters, right? 🙂
I would love to hear from other working mothers. How do you manage your time between work and family?
Baby Step by Baby Step 