How to feel confident—or at least a little less uncertain—as you assume the job of being someone’s mom or dad.
Congratulations on your new position: you’ve just become someone’s Mom or Dad.
Whether you’ve been working toward this promotion for many years or you are a recent recruit to the parenting business, you’re likely to be filled with excitement as you consider the challenges you’ve just taken on.
You may also be feeling a little humbled. I mean, it’s not as if you can ask to be reassigned to a different department six months from now if it turns out that you’re not quite cut out for this parenting thing. When you sign up, you sign up for life.
So what’s the best approach to take in dealing with your new parent jitters? By doing what you would do if you were dealing with any other type of anxiety related to a new job.
- Consult with your colleagues. Ask other parents to pass along their best advice about adjusting to life with a new baby. There’s no point enrolling in the School of Hard Knocks if you don’t have to.
- Figure out how to do what it takes to keep the boss happy. Meeting your baby’s needs won’t seem like such a mysterious process once you are able to decode your baby’s body language and to make sense of her various coos and cries.
- Give yourself a break. Remember that old adage about all work and no play? Take time for yourself, even if it’s only a few minutes a day to re-charge your parental batteries over a cup of tea. The result will be a more contented baby and a less stressed-out you—a win-win all around.
You said it Ann.I think one of the first things that new parents need to know is that they have a “new boss” ……. your life will never be the same.
Thanks so much for the positive feedback, Deana. It means a lot!
Twitter: deanaryan
says:
I smile my way through this article every time I read it! Love how you mapped being a new parent into a work environment and the idea of “keeping the boss happy” couldn’t be cuter.