Miss Valenzuela: Mirmir: My First Little Officemate

I used to work in a multinational company when I was in my mid-20s. At age 25, I gave birth to Mirmir. I hired a nanny to take care of him because I only had two months to spend for my maternity leave. Since most of my time is spent at work, and I had to waste over three hours of my time each day for travel and heavy traffic, I have not afforded to provide him ample attention during his tender age.

Realization struck me that I had to leave my work in Makati City when one night that I was trying to put my son to sleep, he pushed me away and said, “I don’t want you, I want my yaya!” I called his nanny right away and watched her lull my baby. On the side, hand on my chest, I gaze upon them helplessly while feeling my bleeding heart.

After my five fulfilling years in that private company, I took my early retirement there to find a new job in my home city. I landed working at the local government as a writer. The pay was not as good as the one I left at the financial institution I was from, but the thrill and excitement that the job had lavished me were worth the sacrifice. More than that, I also had the time to balance my career with my family life since the proximity of my house to my workplace was whole lot nearer.

The “balance” part was not entirely smooth sailing because our domestic issues were quite toxic almost all the time, and the “creative” aspect of my work required long hours of diligent attention. The good thing was, even if the household would have concerns such as resigning nannies or helpers, ex-hubby’s qualms about my frequent overtime at work, and other family emergencies, I could bring my child at work anytime and my boss and co-workers then did not mind.

Mirmir just turned three years old and he could barely talk when I started working at the city hall. My officemates witnessed him grow from being a playful toddler to a smart little kid. Just like his dad, Mirmir also has a way with people. He’s not shy and he’s comfortable speaking with adults.

I guess soon, my daughter Hami is also bound to become my next little officemate.

The pictures below show what my "junior boss" does in our office.

I can leave him at the office while I do fieldwork. He’d take some selfies if he’s bored.

While I’m not on my station, he’d pretend he’s a writer too just like his mommy.

The not-so-fun part is that he’s always complaining that he’s hungry. His strong appetite is a challenge in my budget but nevertheless, I always give in so that while he’s busy munching I could do my job.