Mother and son mothers day #MaaHoonNaa unpopular opinion

I Became A Mother At 23 And I Don't Think Motherhood Has To Entail Sacrifice And Its Okay

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*For representational purpose only.

Motherhood for me entails a responsibility wherein my child grows up to be a decent human being.

I became a mom in 2011 when I was only 23 and wasn’t in India too. I was supremely overwhelmed for I knew that I have to take care of this thing for the rest of my life (laughs)! Instances when others tell me that I brought up my son well, or that he cares for others, helps others among other things, makes me feel special as a mother. Also, I really appreciate the times when he makes me a coffee!

Our favourite traditions include- ardently listening to the podcast “History Extra” every week. We also work out together. Not to mention that we have two cats and we absolutely relish playing with them. Due to the fact that my job involved a lot of traveling (18-20 days a month, pre-covid), my son has grown up to be independent wherein he can do most of his chores by himself.

However, I make sure that I am there for all his important events. And even now, my son does continue the same for we’ve actually worked around bringing this sort of order into our lives. This is what gives me my ‘Me-time’ as well. I work, I volunteer, and watch football,  and that’s something my son understands without an iota of doubt!  

My son is an extremely inquisitive child and that’s what makes me read and be prepared all the time so that I can answer most of his questions. Also, the pandemic has brought us both a lot closer, we do spend a lot of time together and do stuff that we both find really fun and therapeutic.

Also, what’s with this societal glorification of motherhood? I really disagree with the common notion that motherhood entails sacrifice. Absolutely not! This gaudy meme where the mother eats the crust and the child eats the centre portion of bread is something I find extremely problematic. Children who are made to grow like this never really grow up to be good human beings as they aren’t taught different narratives. I don’t agree with society here!

Lastly, a little message for mothers out there- “Be forgiving of yourselves”. I often catch myself unsatisfied with certain things, and I really feel that we should be more forgiving as we all are trying nothing but our best! Much love to all mothers!  

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