Motherly Management

Photo courtesy of Lauren Lawrence

Going into her third week back from maternity leave, English teacher Lauren Lawrence is adjusting to her life as a new mom. She recently gave birth to a baby boy, Addison Patrick Lawrence. Since July 8, Lauren and her husband Tyler have been learning to be a family of three.

The two full-time working adults have had to shift schedules to accommodate their new life with a newborn. They work together to balance their jobs and the responsibility that comes with a very young kid. Tyler takes care of Addison in the morning before he goes to work, then drops him off at a nanny during the day. Lauren later picks him up after school.

“Parenting, I feel like, is all about teamwork,” Lauren said. “I really think that is the case with this. It is just a shared exhaustion, I guess.”

Even with all the energy that raising a newborn takes, Lauren is happy to be back in the classroom. She said she would go stir-crazy if she was forced to be a stay-at-home mom. She loves her job and being around energetic teenagers all day. Working with teenagers during the day balances out being with a baby at night. She couldn’t wait to be back from maternity leave and in the classroom.

That being said, she still rushes to pick up her baby after school. Her nanny even teases her for being early to pick Addison up.

This whole schedule will change once winter sports start. Doubling as the girls varsity basketball head coach, Lauren will have a whole new routine to get used to. With school all day, practice after school and games at night, she will have even less time to spend with her son.

Lauren isn’t quite sure how this new schedule will work, but she expects Addison to be very close with the basketball program. Last year Tyler came to almost every game, and this year Lauren expects her baby to be right next to him, cheering on the team.

Looking towards the future, Lauren and Tyler can’t wait to continue to build their family. They love their new life so far and feel very lucky.

“It is nice being a teacher,” Lauren said. “Because eventually once we are out of the newborn and toddler stage, I will be on the same schedule as my kids. Kids as in we will hope to have more in the future.”

But for now, one kid is enough. Lauren is loving being a mom and is slowly getting used to the routine that comes with motherhood.