six months of leave went in a blink. the caregiver started a few weeks ago and he's fine with her. i'm the one who isn't fine. what do you wish someone had told you before the first week back? anything about day one i should plan for
From the manager's side: the people I've seen come back well usually had a deliberately light first week. If you can, ask for nothing new until Thursday and leave on time every day of that week. The mistake I've seen people regret is trying to prove on day one that they never left.
I'd add one thing about evenings. When my daughter went back to work, the first evenings were hard because she rushed home expecting the baby to be up and waiting, and he was fast asleep. Ask the caregiver to keep the late afternoon nap short that week, so you get some time with him in the evening.
Replying to @banyan_window_4730
that's a good one, hadn't thought about the evening nap at all. i'm home by 5.30 so i'll ask her to wake him by 4
Replying to @banyan_window_4730
Yes to this. My first week back I also asked for the caregiver's updates at two fixed times instead of checking every hour. Made the day much easier to get through ♥
Partner went back to teaching when our daughter was about this age. That first week the lunch box came home untouched every day, because the whole break went on calls with the nanny. Eat the lunch, ha.
We see the same in our department whenever a colleague comes back. The phone calls settle after the first week; the guilt takes longer. Both are normal. If your roster has any late duties, try to keep the first one as far from week one as you can.
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