I went back to work today for the first time since having children. Tell me it gets easier

[HumphreyCobbler]

I am unbelievably knackered

It has been four years
I haven't forgotten how to do it though. I was relieved about that.

It IS knackering I'm afraid to say.

erm... you get more organised, definitely.

I don't even think I'm THAT organised but my mum is totally by all the stuff we plan in advance and get ready the night before etc.

You will also need to slow down your social life for a bit - unless you are the sort of person who feels better when you see people.

I find dealing with students all day plus my DC in the evening/morning means all I want to do is hide in my bed and read books/watch dvds/mn all evening!

That all said, I totally love my job and could never be a SAHM.

No problems on the social life front (sadly).

I know what you mean about teaching, it kind of wears out your need for social contact.

It isn't so bad for me as DH will be looking after them at home, we are not both going to be working at the same time. I have still had a million things to do since getting in and realised that I am going to resent doing packed lunches massively

Bugger, I even forgot to make my own lunch after all that..

I loved being at home though, I am going to miss it. I am also worried about how to fit in all the work I used to do at home, in a relaxed fashion, on a Sunday morning after a lie in.

I could never be a SAHM, I need the adult conversation / interaction and I also need to exercise the grey matter from time to time. However when I am at home I can always find something to do and am always busy so I go into work for a sit-down and a rest.

Make sure you make time to catch up with your DH a bit - especially if you are both working at different times - ime it tends to drop down low on the list of priorities when you are both working!

AND - you MUST make your own lunch FIRST or make time for a proper lunch - I used to eat lunch at my desk, but now I make time for 45 minutes at the canteen chatting with colleagues - it is SO nice to have an "adult" uninterrupted meal!

thanks for the tips, it is really strange re-entering the world of work.

I am not quite so knackered today

Make lunches in a large batch and freeze them. Many sandwiches freeze perfectly well and I always have some kind of left-overs heated in the microwave at school. I often make home-made sausage rolls, pasties etc on rainy afternoons with dd to stock the freezer. I also loathe lunchboxes! Can the DC have school dinners? Can you have school dinners?

If you are working full time, can you afford a cleaner? Your house will not be as clean or tidy as before - that's not a priority. We have a rule - first come people, then pets, then plants of all kinds (ie house plants, veg plot), then the house. The house often has a long wait to get fitted in.

You are going to have to accept that teaching when you have your own family can never be as all-engrossing and life replacing as teaching was before. Your own children are your priority, not everyone elses'.

sperpent. you are so right about the house! I find, if you leave the dust to build up, after a while you don't notice so much!!

After kids, going back to teaching changed my perception of the kids. I realised more than ever that these children were THAT important to someone else. I know it sounds obvious, but I didn't fully appreciate it.

The summer holdiays are great though!

Yes, I remember the blinding realisation that that every child in my class is as important to someone as dd is to me. It has made me far more tolerant of them, but strangely, less interested in their SATs/spelling scores and more interested in their dog dying.

yy - I felt that today when a little lad cried bitterly. I would always have comforted him and tried to help but I had a much more empathetic response today.

The worst thing is that so many things make me cry now! I had never shed a tear at school before dd. (I do disguise it, though, as a sore throat or a runny nose.)