In order to keep "mushy baby brain" at bay, I've decided to jump back into public and paid life.
My new role is as the professional development manager (PDM) for the Manawatu rugby team, and I'm looking forward to working with professional and semi-professional rugby players in this capacity.
According to my job description, the goal of a PDM is to support, guide and assist players in their personal and professional development.
In many respects, this is an extension of the nurturing role I've played in the life of my 9-month-old son, with a few minor differences - there are 30 big burly boys to support, guide and assist, and hopefully they're all toilet-trained!
The professional development programme was initiated by the Players' Association, and every week a four-hour block of time is allocated to professional development during the playing season.
Some coaches and unions may consider this programme a nuisance during a very busy and condensed season, and many players choose not to partake in the opportunities that are presented to them.
Oh well, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink.
Are we mollycoddling our players these days?
Are we doing them a disservice by holding their hands through the decisions and choices they have to make in rugby and in their lives?
I know I'll have to resist my recently heightened urge to mother when dealing with the players, because that is the last thing they need.
In a professional environment where every aspect of their life is monitored and prescribed by coaches, trainers, nutritionists, psychologists, physiotherapists, and now PDMs, I'm hoping to give players the tools to lead themselves.
I'm realistic about what I can achieve in 10 to 15 hours a week.
As with most 20-somethings, thinking and planning ahead doesn't tend to extend beyond what is happening in the weekend.
Unlike in the amateur era, our professional players are also coming straight from school with very little life/work experience to shape their values, attitudes and behaviours.
A rugby career can be brutal and intense, and a player's body and mind can be consumed by the rugby machine and spat out at the other end.
Rugby, along with some other high-profile codes, is fortunate to have development programmes in place.
We need more athletes like Steve Price and Victor Vito to demonstrate that it is possible to achieve success on and off the field.
Diego Maradona could have done with a PDM in his day, and even more so when his days in the sun as a star player were over.
I reckon the PDM role is a bit like the role of a mother.
If you do your job well, your work tends to go unnoticed and thus without acknowledgement.
But if you get it wrong, all hell breaks loose.
Maybe mushy baby brain isn't that bad, after all.
