Balancing Work and Fatherhood – How to Make it Work

As a new father, you’ll undoubtedly be feeling anxious, excited and even a little overwhelmed at times. These are all natural emotions, but throw in the fact that you’ll likely need to return to work at some point and you’ll probably get the feeling that you can’t cope from time to time. Fortunately, returning to work after having a child can be a fairly straightforward process – and there’s even the potential to obtain a work-life balance that others would envy. In this article, we’ll be exploring the key factors to consider for a good balance between being a new father and working hard for your family.

Know Your Priorities

Your family should come first. This could be your wife, fiancee, or girlfriend – as they are the person that you choose to have a child with. Your new baby is equal to your partner and in many cases will need to come first, which is only natural. Ensuring that you know what your priorities are will mean that you’ll also learn to recognise the things that aren’t as important. Simply put, work is never as important as your family’s health and well-being and although a balance can be achieved, your employment should never come before your loved ones.

What Does This Mean For Your Career?

As you’ll have been preparing for fatherhood, you’ll have likely told your employer and colleagues about the exciting event that is quickly coming your way. During this time, you may have made preparations for time away and there are numerous rules and regulations in place to protect new parents as far as their career and time off are concerned. Don’t feel like you can’t talk to your employer and colleagues about being a new parent and in most cases, they’ll try to be as helpful as possible. In fact, this is one of the best pieces of advice that you will receive when trying to achieve a work-life balance: be open, be honest and don’t feel like you have nowhere to turn.

Finding the Ideal Balance

Returning to work full-time is one thing, but knowing that you have other responsibilities is something else. When we say this, we mean that if you need to go home for an emergency, that should be allowed. If it happens more than once, that should be understood. You aren’t alone in this situation; in fact, you’ll have your partner who will likely be raising the baby while you work, as well as friends, family and workmates that can all contribute to your work-life balance.

Sometimes you might find yourself stuck in the office and unable to pick up food, but that’s what friends and grandparents can help with. Otherwise you might be out of baby formula, but that’s why ordering online can be so convenient. There might even be times when you have to go away for a business trip, but that’s just a part of life. Rather than writing a set routine, try to understand that as your baby grows, things will change and you’ll need to remain flexible. Never turn down help, always seek advice when needed and trust that everything will be okay as time goes by and you learn to juggle your responsibilities like any good parent should.