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Want to attain Nirvana in parenting? Here is how you can protect yourself from losing your sanity by the time your child is 5.
The baby is here. The baby is home. You are overjoyed to see tiny eyes and tiny fingers and tiny toes. As soon as it is night for you, it is a bright morning for the baby! Time to work.
The first year goes by.
The second year goes by too. You have already got enlightened on what ‘Parenting’ involves. You have learned on the job. However, it takes a little more to attain that Nirvana in parenting; you know what I mean?
Nirvana in parenting. Nirvana that is not attained under a tree. Nirvana that is probably attained when all of the following are true for you. Read on!
You have been living in the abode of nomads. In fact, you have been a nomad yourself. Look around and take an inventory of things strewn around. Books, bags, toys, half eaten candies, cookies made gooey with a lot of licking, the head of a broken Spiderman, the limb of a malnourished doll, lots of play-clay stuffed into the mouths of poor toy figures, an angry bird blind in one eye making it look less angry, and more such impeccable treasures are strewn everywhere so that walking normally is no more possible in the house.
By the end of the fourth year of being a parent, you can be sure that you can participate in the Gymnastics events in the next Olympics; possibly in all categories, the vault, the pommel horse, or the rings!
You have actually stopped looking at the mirror. One look and you realize you are wearing what looks like a pillow cover paired with pyjamas that are spotted with puke, food, snot, and what not! Another look at your wardrobe, and you see that all you have there are pillow covers for yourself.
Cleaning up the house every night after the baby has slept off is a breeze for you. Cleaning is basically taking things from everywhere and dumping them in one corner. Changing the corners every night is a smarter way to reorganize.
You know your bathroom trips are going to be the shortest ever recorded. The bathroom stories never change. You are just about to sit on the designated place for a fraction of a second when one shriek in front of the bathroom door makes you put your buttons back in place. Gradually, your body gets acclimatized to a half-sitting position forever because you are ready to jump up at any point in time.
You also become comfortable doing all your bathroom work with a mini audience watching you with curious eyes.
All said and done, you have not attained complete Nirvana until you have done that one thing every parent has to do at least once: fished out, scratch that, spooned out, scratch that too, picked up something that your tiny tot has tossed into the toilet. Your bundle of joy drops her pretty toy into the bowl while in the act, and you have to pick up the pretty toy from a not-so-pretty surrounding with utmost dexterity. And while you are pondering how to go about it, you are secretly fearing that the last resort would be to have your hands take a holy dip in the murky waters.
That, that is when you attain complete Nirvana in parenting.
Victorious, and energized, you are ready to take on the upcoming seismic waves at home!
Image source: Vimeo
Founder of mayodip.com (which is into Virtual Reality), Ex-googler, Mom, Writer. read more...
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People say that women are the greatest enemies of women. I vehemently disagree. It is the patriarchal mindset that makes women believe in the wrong ideology.
The entire world celebrates International Women’s Day on March 8, 2024. It should be a joyful day, but unfortunately, not all women are entitled to this privilege, as violence against women is at its peak. The experience of oppression pushes many women to choose freedom. As far as patriotism is concerned, feminism is not a cup of tea in this society.
What happens when a woman decides to stand up for herself? Does this world easily accept the decisions of women in this society? What inspires them to be free of the clutches of the oppression that women have faced for ages? Most of the time, women do not get the chance to decide for themselves. Their lives are always at the mercy of someone, which can be their parents, siblings, husband, or children.
In some cases, women do not feel the need to make any decisions. They are taught to obey the patriarchal system, which makes them believe that they are right. In my family, I was never taught to make decisions on my own. It was always my parents who bought dresses and all that I needed.
14 years after her last feature film Dhobi Ghat, storyteller extraordinaire comes up with her new film, Laapataa Ladies, a must watch.
*Some spoilers alert*
Every religion around the world dictates terms to women. The onus is always on women to be ‘modest’ and cover their faces and bodies so men can’t be “tempted”, rather than on men to keep their eyes where they belong and behave like civilized beings. So much so that even rape has been excused on the grounds of women eating chowmein or ‘men will be men’. I think the best Hindi movie retort to this unwanted advice on ‘akeli ladki khuli tijori ki tarah hoti hai’ (an alone woman is like an open jewellery box) came from Geet in Jab We Met – Kya aap gyan dene ke paise lete hain kyonki chillar nahin hain mere paas.
The premise of Laapataa Ladies is beautifully simple – two brides clad in the ghunghat that covers their identity get mixed up on a train. Within this Russian Doll, you get a comedy of errors, a story of getting lost, a commentary on patriarchy’s attitude towards women, a mystery, and a tale of finding oneself, all in one. Done with a mostly light touch that has you laughing and nodding along.
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