I am on maternity leave, for the second time in three years. Having plenty of time to muse about my condition, the good and the bad of it, I am now taking finger to keyboard to write down a few things of use to other parents who wish to combine raising children and having careers. By career, I simply mean a fulfilling life outside the home. By raising children I mean supporting your sons and daugthers along their particular voyage of self discovery and having fun doing so. I sincerely believe that having fun inside and outside the home, with your spouse, children, colleagues and friends, and with yourself, is the simplest way to a good life.
I now have a family of four. The stereotypical dream family: Mom, Dad, Son and Daughter. I’d say we are pretty happy, but we have our darker moments. As Tolstoy would say, those are the stuff of fiction, fuel for the writer in me. In the midsts of sleep deprivation, weakened immunity, toddler moments, envy of those who get to go to an office, and mini meltdowns with my spouse, I have sometimes found it difficult to have fun while on maternity leave. Here’s why and what I’m doing about it. I’ll write 33 posts, for each of the 33 weeks I’m off work. I’m starting half way into my maternity leave, so the first fifteen posts are written with the benefit of hindsight. But since I’m also drawing on memories from my first maternity leave, 3 years ago, each of my stories should have a component of self reflection.
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