| First off, congratulations! I know you're nervous about the whole ordeal but take a step back and breathe. You're bringing a brand new person into the world. Medical science understands the process so we'll these days but it still feels magical, doesn't it? When you talk about being a dad in your post, it sounds like you're focused on your career but right now that's less important. Being a parent is your number one job. You have to clothe and feed and change and love this new person and they are going to look up to you as this amazing person who makes them feel comfortable, happy, and safe. (Don't forget your partner here either. They're going to be recovering from giving birth and needing your presence and support.) Take all the parental leave you're legally entitled to. And if the company offers more, take it! I remember when my little bean was born and I'd spend like half an hour bottle feeding them in the kitchen bored off my butt. So I started responding to Stack Overflow questions other people were ignoring. And I would talk to my kid about it and why it was so important to help these people, and a little about the technology, and why I chose this career for myself. Babies don't understand any of that, but I was giving them my attention, I was making sounds they eventually learned to copy, and I think the best part is they got to see Mama excited about something. We would spend hours cuddled up on the nursery floor with a pile of pillows, some Tangerine Dream albums, and stories about people I've met and things I've done. Parental leave is a great opportunity to look at things through new eyes. I feel like I learned so much about being a manager by trying to explain it to a newborn. I hope you find it to be a positive experience as well. |