Working parents

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In addition to the 24/7 resources, the Psychology Foundation of Canada offers booklets, tip sheets and videos broken down by age and audience:

Infants [0-3]

Children [4-13]

Youth [14-17]

For parents 

For parents of post-secondary students, check out From surviving to thriving: developing personal and academic resilience

Resources for caring adults – This resource from Kids Help Phone includes tips for talking with young people about stress, sexuality, bullying, suicide and other challenging topics.

Peer support for family members   

A family peer support network for the entire family of someone with a mental health challenge and/or addiction. All IN Family peer support offers free one-on-one and online support groups, workshops, and navigation of resources assistance for families in an effort to build a community of understanding, acceptance and hope.

The transition from parental leave back to work can come with challenges and stress, like:

• Adjusting to a new routine of drop offs at childcare
• Commuting
• Settling back into a work environment
• Emotional strain of spending time away from your child

During this time most of us need support from friends, family, other parents, therapists or others.

These tips can aid with the transition:

Schedules

Many people – children and adults – find comfort in knowing what’s expected of them. Printing out a visual morning schedule for children can help ease the transition of leaving the house each morning. The schedule could include:

• Brush teeth
• Get dressed
• Have breakfast
• Pack your bag
• Space to add anything specific to the next day

Your children may be more inclined to stick to the schedule if they have input. And you could make creating the schedule a fun activity, with space to colour or to add stickers when they complete each item on the list. 

Of course, you don’t want to add this chore to your busy morning routine. Whether the schedule is a simple printout or a work of art, update the list the night before and post it where you can’t miss it.

15 minutes the night before

Take time the night before to complete what you do ahead of time to reduce the stress of looking for items in the morning:

• Put out clothes
• Make lunches
• Set out work and school bags by the door

This can give you much-needed time to get where you need to go without feeling rushed.

Create space for moments

After being home with your baby 24 hours a day you may miss having quality time with them. Creating space in your daily routine can help. Try these ideas:

• Pack favourite books to read with your child when you have to wait together during appointments or shopping trips. 
• Bring bubbles and a wand to stop on the way home and burn some energy outdoors. 
• Pack a picnic and blanket (leave it at daycare or with the caregivers) and enjoy a pre-made meal outdoors.

Make time for nothing

Moving to a scheduled workday can be overwhelming for everyone. Where possible, it can be helpful to leave at least part of a day off unscheduled. Take time for:

• Long walks
• Playing outside with your kids
• Spending time unrushed. 

Take a rain check on things that require you to be somewhere at a certain time – even if for a little while.

Partner with your care provider

Let your care provider, even if it’s family, know what you need. Many daycares and childcare providers offer a daily summary, photographs or updates to let you know about your child’s day. This helps you stay connected to how your child’s doing. If you have questions or concerns, write them down and book time to talk them through when the care provider has free time.

Time block

Day-to-day tasks in life, like those below, can feel overwhelming:

• Picking up a present for a party
• Getting the prescriptions
• Shopping for groceries
• Cleaning the bathroom
• Making doctors’ appointments

Often this can create a lot of stress. Having a running list reduces the mental energy required. And, by blocking time during the week – for example, during a coffee break or before or after work – you can cross these off your list with less effort.

The information above is compliments of Allison Venditti, Career Strategist & Return to Work Specialist. Allison is the creator of the Ready to Return program, Canada's first online program to support mothers returning to work from maternity leave. For more information, check out careerlove.ca.

Share this with anyone who is a working parent.