Parenting skills applicable to the workplace

"Climbing to Success with LIFE SKILLS" by Bunches and Bits {Karina}

Today is "Mama dag". It often is for me anyway. This morning my 4 years old goes to school and the little one is with me. Luckily he is asleep now after keeping me awake for an hour and a half at night.

I feel it's common misconception that people who took a parental leave find it hard to start working again and they need time to go back to speed. Is that really the case? I think being a parent teaches you a number of skills that are very valuable in a work place:

• Problem solving: fixing toys and other essential piece of junk or replacing them with other items of equal value.
• Negotiation (called also bribing): asking your child to finish their meal or to complete a task in exchange for something they like.
• Multi-tasking: being able to read a story to one child while playing with the other and using gestures to give indications to your husband on what's the plan for dinner.
• Flexibility: taking your child to the playground to then find out that they need to go to the toilet. 
• Structure: following the plan despite all the unforeseen events that may arise.
• Creativity: finding new ways to keep your children busy and engaged while you finish doing the dishes.
• Endurance: giving birth (I said enough!).

In other words I believe that parents are resilient and resourceful and have so much to give. Being a parent is not a limit, but a source of experience, knowledge and wisdom.