Parenthood

'I'm just a parent', usually uttered with a shrug of the shoulders. 

It's a phrase where the word 'just' doesn't belong. 

Shall we review the transferable skills of a parent?

* Leadership - you're the natural leader of the pack and make the decisions every single day. 

* Patience - you need it in bucket loads.

* Creativity/intuition - Keeping a child amused on a long far ride, need I say more? 

* Teaching - passing on your knowledge of early years ed, values, social rules, life skills.

* Resiliance - You need an unbelievable amount of mental and emotional strength. 

* Self control - Every parent has had to leave the room or close their eyes and count to ten before continuing a conversation against a toddler or a teenager or any aged child in between. There is little difference between children and customers in this respect. 

* Negotiating - it does not matter if you have one or ten children, negotiating will occur on a daily basis. Parents deserve the honorary titles of lawyers as well as doctors and half a dozen other professions. 

* Team building - Whether you have a present or an ex partner, or if it's between you and your children, there should be a sense of team work, to keep things running smoothly. 

* Nursing - To varying degrees depending on your family's medical needs you need to know about how the human body works. You never know how much you are capable of learning without having a doctors degree to your name if you have a long term sick child. 

* Multitasking - The jobs are endless as parents, you need some degree of understanding how multitasking works. There are more jobs than hours in the day. 

* Time keeping - If you ever had to juggle the school run/clubs with multiple children you are proficient in this skill. 

* Organising - Your role consists on making sure everyone is where they're meant to be on time, dressed correctly with the right equipment, that's on top of the rest of the year calender. 

* High level responsibility - Its the highest responsibility on earth, keep another human being alive who's completely dependent on you.

* Food preparation - Whether you're the worst cook on the planet or the world's best chef, you still have to provide meals for your child.

* Health and safety rules - Keeping your child healthy and safe. 

* Following instructions - If you have ever had to construct a crib, a bed, or a large toy need I say more? 

These stand true whether you're a working  parent or stay at home parent. 

Surely they are skills which should be valued by an employer? 

Surely they are skills exercised by employees within their job?  

Parenting is a real job, one usually juggled alongside other paid employment. It should not be treated as nul and void. 

Any responsibility you hold has transferable skills. You'll find that a pet owner exercises  most of these skills as well. 

It's a question of looking beneath the surface of the job title and selling your truth, allowing it to shine.