Returning to work – how did you ease the family into it?

[Rachel Elliott]

I’m back in the work role after a few years at home with my young children. I have to admit I didn’t do much preparation for them – really just jumped on board. In hindsight, I think I need to explain what’s going on so that they don’t feel resentful of my recent lack of presence. There’s a great article over at w2wlink.com about this topic (http://www.w2wlink.com/Articles/Making-Career-Relaunch-Easier-Kids-...). Assigning some simple chores (or rules) to keep up with the housekeeping is what we are tackling now, to keep the dirty socks out of the living room and the library books out of harms way in the hallway, for example. The kids are taking on some simple self-preservation tasks on, thankfully, like making themselves an afternoon snack, and digging out a sweatshirt of their dresser of they are feeling the fall chill in the air. What did you do to help in your transition?