Life Desk :
Stay-at-home mothers, you have every reason to be proud! Stay-at-home mothers, you have every reason to be proud! Mothers are really the best people in the world. Especially, stay-at-home mothers. They sacrifice their peace of mind, time, dreams and even happiness just to raise a few brats, who may or may not turn out right. With no salary, bonus or appreciation, this is perhaps the most thankless job in the world. No matter how old we grow, we simply can’t live without them. Working or not working, married or unmarried, being a parent or yet to be one-you will forever be your mumma’s little girl or boy.
I have been raised by some strong, stay-at-home mothers. They are excellent home-makers (NOT housewives), have a knowledgable opinion on every topic (be it politics or fashion), they are world travellers (thanks to their respective husband’s professions) and most importantly, have a broad-mindedness that often shocked even me, a modern-day millennial.
The fact that they didn’t work, didn’t make them any less dignified. They were and still continue to be treated as equal partners in all the decisions pertaining to the household. Bowing down to the man of the house or living under subjugation are completely alien to me. I’ve been raised to have a strong voice, but that doesn’t mean I hen-peck my husband.
At close to 90 years of age, my grandmother lives in a palatial bungalow, atop a hill in Kerala. She lives with dignity and grace. In her hay days, she was a terrific cook, has single-handedly raised all her grandchildren and has an excellent collection of curios from around the globe, thanks to my grandfather’s sea-voyages. He has captained vessels of all shapes and sizes, for countless decades and finally hung up his boots in the mid-90s. He was a treasure-trove of stories from faraway lands. He had eaten, seen and experienced things, none of us could even imagine. To say that he was way ahead of his times, would be an understatement. I get my competitiveness and never-say-die attitude from my mother. No goal has ever been too big. No dream, impossible. She wanted to be a doctor or a teacher. Unfortunately, her husband’s life as an army man forced her to back down. He was perennially being transferred from one postcard-perfect location to another within India. So, she passed down those aspirations onto me. She wanted me to be a lawyer or a doctor. Regretfully, I let her down. Much to her dismay, I chose my own path. Of course, I am subjected to the occasional ‘you could have been so much more’ jibe.
Stay-at-home mothers, you have every reason to be proud! Chin up and soldier on. Don’t ever feel insecure about that classy-looking working woman. She might be great at her job. But you, stay-at-home mom, are kicking-ass at raising that strong-willed child, bargaining with the kirana store or the subzi and dhobi walla (whereby saving all your husband’s hard-earned money) and converting a brick and mortar house into a cozy-little den.
Still unsure about your core competencies and skill sets? Leave your husband and child alone for a week. Kick back, relax and unwind. You will be overwhelmed by the warm welcome they shower upon you, when you return.
-By Gayatri Bhadran, TNN
