Many people would assume that being at home with a baby for months, isn’t really be the best course of action to improve your careers prospects. However, I think Baby has put me through a training schedule, which is more thorough and exhaustive than any ‘Apprentice’ style corporate process. Here’s why;
- Organisation – We all know what a nightmare it is to try and get out of the house with a little one in tow. Even a quick outing, necessitates a huge amount of luggage. When finally you are ready and heading for the door, there will be a code brown (usually requiring a complete change of clothes for both of you)! Parenting experience ensures you can still get out of the house ……..
- Communication – Although I have not studied languages, I am fully conversant in ‘Toddler’. There is an incentive to learn this ‘language’ though, as usually if you don’t get it right you get hit in the head with a Tombiliboo! (Great incentive!)
- Team Work – This skill is really demonstrated when your baby decides that it will never sleep again and tries to see how far it can push you before you crack. This is when the Mummy/Daddy tag team comes in really useful! Prevents parental burn out and abuse of Gin!
- Negotiation & Persuasion – Has Alan Sugar ever had to wrestle a 2 foot rigid (mostly screaming) child into car seat. No, I don’t think he has. Whereas, for me (and LOTS of other parents) it is almost a daily occurrence. I have already resorted to
blackmailnegotiation involving Doc McStuffins and fruit Yoyo’s!
- Problem Solving – In our house my problem solving muscle is exercised by trying to figure out how to get Baby to eat anything other than peas and sausages (and fruit Yoyo’s!…)
- Leadership – You must always show that you are the boss. Children can smell weakness (FACT) and if they do, They. Will. Break. You.
- Perseverance & Motivation – If you have a fussy eater, like we do, then you will have this one down. Extreme amounts of perseverance is required to get them to eat a meal and not just live on cocktail sausages… The motivation for this effort? Well you actually WANT to sleep tonight.
- Ability to work under pressure – This demonstrated in many ways, quite often in your ability to keep the car on the road, when your child is screaming blue murder in the back.
- Hardworking – In L.B.B (Life Before Baby) I worked hard, by nature I am a bit of a workaholic. However, it was merely the tip of the iceberg. Having a baby as your Boss, means that 5 hours sleep is a good night and you are constantly trying to invent ways to stay awake, while ensuring you remain a responsible parent (how did THAT happen?!). You have no lunch break or coffee break. Most of the time you don’t even get a loo break (on your own anyway!). I think anyone who can cope with this relentlessness is an awesome prospect for any business opportunity.
- Ability to Prioritise – Have you ever had to deal with a poonaumi and projectile vomit At. The. Same. Time? That, my friend demonstrates your ability to prioritise.
Do you think having children has improved your skills? Are you now Boardroom ready?
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Comments 54
brilliant post 🙂 and totally true 🙂 #mmwbh
Author
Thanks for reading hun, glad you like it x
hahaha! Great post! I’ve never thought of parenting like this. lol
Author
They couldn’t pay you enough if it was an actual job! 😉 x
Good pionts 🙂 I agree that parenting makes a person in a way nothing else does; no other job is as ’24hours’ as parenting, loads of practise to get it wrong and loads to get it right too. 🙂
Author
Relentless! x
Love this post! You are truly boardroom ready! 🙂 x
Author
Maybe I should go on Dragons Den (as a Dragon!) x
As it happens, i genuinely think this parenting thing has given me new skills that are indeed transferable to the workplace. Management and negotiation being the main two! #MMWBH
Author
It has given me more skills but probably destroyed a few brain cells 🙂 x
I never thought about it in this way before – although I really still need to work on my time management !
Author
I probably do too! x
I definitely learned scheduling and sticking with it among others things. And being a housewife is management, purchasing, marketing. Talking to my son is like PR. Reading this made me realized these skills. #mmwbh
Haha! I knew I had to read this 🙂
Author
Thanks hun x
Great post. For me, being a parent is more challenging than any other of my career choices and requires so much more from me every day x
Author
You are so right x
Oh, this is so true!
I spend all my days negotiating with toddler-daughter, and really listening to her (no angry-birding when she has the boardroom floor) so I’m unable to think beyond the next 24 hours most days.
What’s also a bit spooky is that I just posted a blog about how productive I’ve been since having my daughter: something about the fear of realising life is as ridiculously short as people told me LBB!
Author
I think we should probably run the country with our skills! 🙂 x
Great post! The only difference being that we can’t get fired from this job….ever. Jess 😉 xx #brilliantblogposts
Author
Oh yeah…… 🙂 Thanks hun xx
Hahah how very true!! Move over Alan Sugar I am SKILLZ at parenting. (Well, when I say skillz, I have managed to keep them alive at least I s’pose). The term Code Brown never fails to make me laugh!! Funny post x
Author
Oh yes that’s about the level of my skillz too! Thanks hun x
Ha! What an awesome way to look at it! So by rights with 4 kids now I should be over qualified for most jobs 😀 x x
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Oh definitely, well over qualified! xx
Absolutely love this, motherhood really unleashes and hones in skills like no other. I was always maternal as a director pre-kids, nurturing to get the best of others so motherhood makes me happy. I actually wrote a post a while back on how motherhood made me more creative if you fancy a read-http://honestmum.com/kids-made-creative/. Loved this post, so empowering. Thanks for linking up to #brilliantblogposts x
Author
Thanks hun. It certainly hones your skills! I will have a read of your post x
Haha! Great post Aby, but it’s kind of the other way round for me. I feel three babies has brought me swiss cheese for a brain 😉 jokes aside being a parent has certainly brought other qualities to my life – I have much more kindness and compassion than I did ten years ago that’s for sure xx #brilliantblogposts
Oh this made me chuckle, I hadn’t thought of it like this ha ha!! xx
Totally agree with you. I’ve also become more confident, those little people can smell fear!
Haha brilliant I’d never thought about it like this but you are definitely on to something! I chuckled my way through your list. I especially agree with Negotiation and Persuasion! I feel like I have blackmail (!) down to a fine art now. ‘Stop screaming and you can have a chocolate biscuit.’ Excellent parenting/life skills.
Great post! I definitely agree that motherhood teaches you to priorities, you have to do what absolutely has to be done and see if there is any time left for other things…
#TheList
Ha ha love it and oh so true!
This is brilliant. I nodded all the way through. I’ve most definitely grown as a person since becoming a parent. It been very empowering for me. Fantastic list! Mwah xxxx
Author
Thank you huni, glad you enjoyed it xxx
Brilliant post, and so very true.
We master so many skills!!
I ALWAYS refer to my experiences as a dad when I’m in job interviews, so I completely agree with what you’ve said here. Being a parent gives you more skills than you’d ever expect! (Followed you through Midweek BlogHop)
Author
Important skills! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by x
Hahah awesome post! Totally agree. I do think being a mum gives you a whole new interpretation of the term “full time”. Working in an office is like a holiday – the quiet, intermittent cups of (hot) tea/coffee, and imagine such a thing as a lunch break?!? Thanks for sharing 🙂 xx
Ah this is so, so true… I often think that society is missing a trick by not making the most of all the superpowers women get by becoming mums 🙂 For my part I feel like a whole new world of possibility has opened up to me – not only have I been on the training camp you describe but the challenge of finding a way of working that means I can still hang out with my baby has given me a whole new burst of motivation. I may not have cracked it quite yet but believe me I will! xx
Brilliant, never thought of it in this way before, maybe if I get an interview for the jobs I’m going for I can pick some examples from your post 😉
He he I love this list Abby. I must remember this when I am focusing on the negatives of late to work, time off as kids are sick, and trying to get to nativity play! thanks for linking up #sundaystars
Not sure if I’m ready for the boardroom but I’m definitely ready for my bed at the end of every day which is surely a sign of a hard day’s work! This list is so true, might have to list some of it on my CV! Fab post! Maria x
Author
Thanks so much, glad you liked it x
I could be a CEO the way I can negotiate getting dressed, eating vegetables, and going into carseats! haha #sundaystars
Brilliant post Aby, the last one literally made me wet myself it was that funny! Zx
Author
Really glad you liked it hun x
I love this post. I almost snorted tea out of my nose on many occasion. Can I add all this to my Linked In profile? We are all multi-tasking, persevering, initiative using wonder women! Hugs Mrs H xxxx
Author
Oh I am so glad you liked it hun, means a lot xxx
This post is spot on! Parenting has literally turned me into a walking sweetie dispenser. My youngest will not do a thing without first ‘negotiating’ a ‘weet – she just turned two last week. My eldest was two and a half before she’d even tasted a sweet.
Being a mum sure does change us! But I love it xx
Thanks for linking up to #SundayStars xxx
Pure genius!!!! The image of Alan Sugar trying to put a kid in a car seat made me spit my lunch out!
AWESOME post, I think it might be one of all time favs! #TheList xxx
brilliant post had me giggling and so true alan sugar would have wothing on me trying to wrestle 2 toddler and a baby into a 3 door car trying to get them to nursery on time 😉 thanks for linking up #sundaystars
Author
Thanks hun! He would have no chance! 🙂 x
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