On Tuesday, I return to work from six weeks’ paternity leave following the birth of our son Ivan. I thought I’d share a few reflections to help ease me back in!
First of all, I want to say thank you again to everyone who shared advice and words of wisdom before the birth. It has all been enormously helpful and yet also somehow completely irrelevant — because everything you thought you knew really does go out the window once you see those eyes for the first time, and is replaced by a whole new set of emotions and responsibilities. It’s been a truly special journey of discovery.
I feel very fortunate to have been able to take this amount of paid time off. I was slightly shocked that six weeks is still unusual in today’s workforce; I really felt for the other new dads we’ve met who had to return to work after just 2-4 weeks.
Needless to say, it’s absolutely flown by. I chose to switch off completely from work and make the most of this special opportunity to be together as a family. Thankfully, Ivan has been good as gold — and my wife Sophie is an absolute superhero — so we’ve been able to really throw ourselves into it. We’ve been for walks on Ashdown Forest, ticked off some new National Trust properties, been on the train to London, saw the new Indiana Jones at the cinema, visited family in Birmingham, and enjoyed probably too many lunches, coffees and cakes.
It’s no surprise then that I’m a little apprehensive about returning to work. The flip side to such a big ‘switch off’ is the big ‘switch on’ again — and it’s going to be a particularly busy time as I get into the final stages of my apprenticeship alongside the day job. But there are some really exciting things on the pad, and I’m looking forward to seeing everyone again.
I know I’ll need to do a few things differently as well. While I’ve been off, my resting heart rate has dropped considerably, so I clearly need to work on finding a sustainable work-life balance to fit alongside my new dad duties. It’s also brought to the front of my mind the benefits of flexible and hybrid working and what that might look like for me in future.
Thank you to my team and others for keeping everything going — I’m looking forward to catching up very soon!