Peace's blog: My Christmas pedicure

It’s that time of year again to start planning holidays for the year and to try to submit holiday requests for next December, especially if you’re one of the few who worked during the precious days between Christmas and New Year because another colleague beat you to it last time!

As working parents, I’d like to think that the most conscientious of us tries to make an effort to ensure our holiday requests are as fair as possible to our single or childless colleagues so that they too get some well-deserved time off over the festive period. In recent years across most organisations – assuming no pressing open issues – employees can finish at lunchtime on the last working day before Christmas as part of the goodwill. Although even with that there is almost always too many competing last minute Christmas preparations to fit into the last minute!.

This year I thought I'd be more organised being on maternity leave. However with primary school aged children and the multiple school activities - from Christmas fayres, to class assemblies, to the Carol singing at the local church and the Christmas pantomimes with multiple slots - I find that I'm not significantly better off timewise.

I promised my daughter that her dad and I would attend the lunchtime Christmas Carols at the local church from 13:30 on the day. There was no indication of when it would finish, but I assumed it will probably last forty-five minutes or so maximum. I decided to book a pedicure about a hundred yards away at 14:15. Hubby was also off for the day so we turned up at the church ten minutes before the scheduled start time to be met by the record turn out and extremely long queues to get in, with barely enough space to stand once inside. With my 14:15 appointment fast approaching, my arms aching from carrying my 2 years old son so that he could see his big sister singing, and with him getting restless in the tight space, I figured that no one would notice if I discreetly left as it would create some much needed breathing space. I signalled my exit to hubby so that he could strategically stand in my daughter’s full view so that hopefully she wouldn’t notice as I slip out.

I arrived at the nail salon within five minutes, apologised for being a few minutes late and breathed a sigh of relief as I took my seat in the pedicure and massage chair. A few minutes after my feet went into the treatment bowl my two year old, who I thought was on the cusp of taking a nap on his push chair, starts crying.  So I removed my wet feet from the bowl and walked a couple yards or so to carry him out of his push chair, so he could sit on my lap while I had my treatment, to mitigate the annoyed look of the other beauticians and their clients.

Fast forward a few minutes later we were both settled on the pedicure chair and the feeling of the massage up and down my back, provided some respite. I take a few minutes to calmly reflect on how to explain to my daughter why I had to leave early when I pick her up from school in about thirty minutes time. Hopefully she will also agree that my leaving early reduced the overcrowding!

Happy New Year Everyone.

Peace is the proud mother of four 'future leaders' and with a hands on and supportive husband also in the city, they have "almost achieved" a work-life-work balance with their children all under 9 years old. She has worked in the City for 14 years full time, mostly in investment banking, and recently as Head of Operational Risk for a leading Insurer.