How work from home has helped me bond better with my child

I know we are passing an unprecedented time now. We are spending most of our time at home, which is something we probably never imagined we’d have to do. However, we have to accept the new normal and move on. As a mother, this has made me go through a few new experiences. To be honest, the increased time at home has been a blessing in disguise for me since it allowed me to spend a lot of quality time with my family- which is something that was very rare before.

As a working mother, it was tough for me to spend the whole day with my baby. I had to go to the office regularly, so I had to leave my baby with my mother. My mom took the best care for my daughter, so I am sure she was safe and healthy. Despite that, I always had this lingering feeling of disappointment, as I kept feeling like I’m missing out on valuable time with my baby.

When I started working from home, I faced some difficulties coping with the new working system in the early days. However, with time, as I became more and more accustomed to this changed system, I started to spend more quality time with my baby. As I was always staying at home, my baby could find me whenever she needed me. Previously I had to wake up very early and rush to the office even without properly saying goodbye to her. Now I have more time in the morning to feed her. When I start work, she takes her nap. I have divided my daily work time into three spans in the morning, afternoon, and late evening. I try to give her as much time as possible when she is awake. So obviously she enjoys my company more than ever.

One thing I practiced a lot with my toddler girl is to wash hands. I taught her how to wash hands properly. She has taken this practice of new normal as a fun activity. She is also developing the habit of keeping herself neat and clean in this process.

Holidays have also become another ‘blessing in disguise’ for us. Previously sometimes we had social commitments on the weekends. Now we can pass the holidays at home. She is very fond of stories, so I try to regularly read something from a storybook for her. She also tries to make stories of her own, which I appreciate so much. One thing we miss though is the weekend short trips we used to take. Apart from this, seeing our baby grow so beautifully has been our biggest source of confidence in this tough time.

Another thing I have noticed is that previously when I was in office, I had to listen to her in a hurry. As she started talking recently she tried to say a lot. Now I have enough time to listen to her attentively. I think this also has made a positive impact on her. She is gaining confidence slowly.

Also as I have to spend some time in household chores, she tries to imitate me. She is starting to be disciplined slowly. All of these have also made our bond stronger than ever before. As a mother, I feel more accomplished in the lockdown days more than ever.