Going back. Three months have come and gone, seems like a long time but when spent with our daughter, it felt like a speck of a minute. Days pass by quickly as I dreaded the last day of my maternity leave. Although the idea of being a fulltime mom and taking a year (or more) off of work was very tempting, I opted otherwise since providing her needs was top priority. Honestly, I was really anxious going back to the big Metro and work, not for myself but more for our daughter. There were a lot of what-ifs and discouragements about us taking our baby with us back to Manila, but we are much thankful that for almost a month now, all is well with us and our little one.

@work again.I missed working (yes, i did!) and what better way to welcome me back than to give me (let me borrow to explore, actually) a new Samsung Galaxy Tab2 10.1? I was informed that (much as I wanted it to be of my use) the said Tab2 will be placed in the interactive corner of ATI’s Learning and Discovery Center (LeAD) to showcase the e-Extension Program. Well, at least I was able to get a good feel of the gadget (I’m good with that) plus there’s the promising LeAD Center to look forward to. Thus, this makes going back to work exciting! But on another note, it’s also daunting – with our daughter’s giggles and baby-talks, leaving for the office every day is rather difficult. More so, the thought of her being left alone only with the yaya at home is a big distraction while working. And it’s a shame to be frequently distracted especially when my job entails focus – particularly when it comes to (my primary functions) writing articles for the ATIinteractive and generating reports and monitoring learners’ activities at the e-Learning site.

Perks and drawbacks.It’s infinite bliss to be beside our daughter all the time, but it’s essential to be able to afford her needs (not only the basic). Me, going back to work enables us (me and my hubby) to achieve this because a single-income-household isn’t enough with the living conditions here in Manila. Also, working again allows me to continually harness my skills, stay competitive, remain streamlined in my career, and be socially active, among others. Although I may have to give up (for the mean time) some of the things I love about my job, particularly travelling for trainings and the field learning activities, so as to maximize my time with our child.

Realization.For me, family comes first before anything else (including work). That’s why I always see to it that I am spending more time with my family than my work. Now I understand how stressful it really is to be a working mom with all the balancing acts between family-time and work-requisites (among a whole lot more) and this is why I salute all my fellow Moms here in the office and in our training centers (especially those who are always on the field). I appreciate their hardships and I am also thankful to them for sharing their insights and experiences, truly their advices were very (very) helpful to me as a newbie mother.

Stressful as it is (being a working mom), at the end of the day, there is no greater reward than going home to my child’s sweetest smile and kiss (and...my hubby’s reassuring hug, of course!).