[/caption]Today is my second day back from maternity leave, and so far it’s been a smooth transition back into the working world. As I learned also with my first little girl, you can try and try, but there is no way to truly understand all the ways your life will change when you bring a new addition to your family. Of course there are the “not-so-fun” changes, like waking up 3 and 4 times a night to a hungry baby, diapers that need to be changed, or the trouble a toddler gets into as a cry for the attention she used to always have. That said, all these things never seem to outweigh the pure joy, love, and happiness you receive when you look at that baby’s smile and happy eyes. It is a transition time for the whole family – a major event that each family member will always remember. I’ve found it’s also a time that requires a lot of patience and flexibility. Here are the lessons I’ve learned, or maybe I should say “reviewed”, over the past few weeks:1. Be in the moment
We cannot change the past, so don’t revel in it. Our search for happiness should not only be in the future, as we never know how much “future” we have. There is no better teacher than an infant child in showing us how important this life lesson is – no grudges, no worries, and a genuine happiness and pureness that is rarely seen elsewhere. It may be impossible to have a life (an adult life) with no grudges or no worries, but it doesn’t hurt to strive for that!
2. You’ve got to have “structured flexibility”
Anyone who’s been around children knows that they thrive when they have a routine. There’s a time for eating, a time for play, a time for reading, a time for bath, a time for bed… and so the cycle goes. But sometimes, one person’s routine does not mesh with another’s. For too many nights I found myself saying, “what time is it?” and the answer was “Hala’s bath time, Jada’s fussy/cuddling time, parents’ dinner time… and all an hour behind.” You can’t just throw up your hands and say “I quit.” You make adjustments and carry on, and let go of the thought that it wasn’t the seamless evening you had planned.
