Sundays = Fun-day For Many, But Not For A New Mom!

Sundays are meant for relaxing, for sleeping in and for chilling. But what happens when you have a baby? Are Sundays still as fun? 

As a kid, Sundays meant playing all day long or family outings. While in college, Sundays were synonymous with parties. During my working days, Sundays were awaited eagerly to sleep all day long!

I miss those carefree days spent in a messy room, lying on the couch, hugging my favourite cushion all day long. But as they say – ‘Life comes a full circle.’

Parties were limited to dancing in the kitchen to the tune of the clashing utensils and the whistling cooker. As for evenings, they were spent hugging my lifeline – huge grocery bags. But still, I lived with head high up because “Zindagi jhandwa, fir bhi ghamandwa!” (Life sucks, but it’s all good!)

After delivering a baby boy, my health didn’t allow me to continue working. Friends suggested, “Take rest. Enjoy life.” I wondered what it would be like, to enjoy life as a new mom!

After 3 months of delivery, my friends started calling up for a catch up over weekends. But I refused them all, every single time.

My WhatsApp was flooded with messages from friends saying, “Kya yar. Ab toh har day Sunday hai tera!!” (What fun for you. Every day is Sunday for you..)

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How I wished the emojis and gifs could come to life and pop out of my friend’s screens to punch them straight in the face! But anyway, controlling my angst, I gave a wide-toothed stiff grin.

Forgetting Sundays

For a year, I forgot the concept of Sundays. You must have heard or experienced that the moment a mom sits down to enjoy her book or a cup of coffee, the baby wakes up squalling. Well, my baby was a step ahead.

A vague thought would cross my mind, to leave all the pending household chores and sit down with a book. And before my brain could give a thumbs up to this brilliant idea, my baby would poop and pull down the diaper too. #FacePalm.

Call it luck, call it fate or call it karma! But I was ready to scratch myself bald when my hubby offered to babysit our son all alone for a Sunday. It was a “Jaa Simran Jaa..jee le apni zindagi” kinda moment for me.

Finally a Sunday to myself!

For me, the wait for that Sunday was getting tougher. On the D-day, I dressed in my best and drove to the parlour before meeting my friends. We had planned dinner at a fancy restaurant.

The moment I buried myself into the seat, my brain heaved a sigh of relief but my heart skipped a beat. A cacophony of voices from my head stirred me up.

It wasn’t meant to be!

‘He must have pooped by now. God knows if hubby noticed it.’

‘It is already snacks time and I forgot to tell him that he likes his apple diced and not sliced.’

‘But yeah I told hubby dearest to feed him milk in the pink sipper, in case of emergency. So he must have offered him that.’

‘Hey, WAIT!! That pink sipper had slipped under the sofa seat and must be conveniently taking a nap there while hubby would be frantically searching for it all over the house.’

‘Nevertheless, I have made some idlis too. He would serve him. Hold on..hold on…I forgot to tell him that the baby loves idlis with ketchup and not chutney.’

A thousand other thoughts and the phone rang. On the other side, my hubby shouted, “Where are the wipes?” A few moments later he enquired about the fruits, sipper, etc.

And finally, I instructed my parlour wali didi to give me a normal cut and chuck the manicure, pedicure and hair spa.

I rushed back home just to find my hubby flipping his hands under the sofa to reach out to the sipper; pulled it out, sterilised it and handed it over to him. Then, I messaged my friends about not making it to the party.

A free fall on the sofa and like any annoyed mom, I started scrolling down the social media pages for a little distraction. Looking at happy vacay pictures of friends, I wondered if the chatpatapan (spice) of my life was lost forever.

Will I ever enjoy a Sunday again?

I was still lost in thoughts when suddenly I sensed a halo around my head as if I discovered the elixir of life. I asked my husband to take the toddler to the park for rides or to the mall.

Baffled, my hubby exclaimed, “I am sorry yaar. I wanted you to enjoy your Sunday. Why don’t you accompany us too? You will get bored at home.”

“Trust me, he will be happiest in the mall and won’t trouble you. And so will I, in my thoughts!”

After insisting, pushing and prodding him a 100 times, the father-son duo finally left for the mall. I ran to the bedroom, changed into my pajamas and hugged the cushion tight for beauty sleep.

Everybody around me had been convincing me to enjoy life by moving out for parties, dinners, shopping and solo movies. But believe me, there is nothing more relaxing for a new mom to enjoy her own space, at her own comfort.

My Sundays now!

Since then, my Sundays are spiced up and spent making DIY face packs, gorging on ice cream buckets or simply sleeping on the couch.

As a new mom, I found my heaven in an empty home at my own comfort. Two years later, I am back to dinners and shopping but once in a while, I enjoy the peace and quiet of sitting back at home doing nothing!

After all, every day cannot be a Sunday but Sunday should definitely be a FUN-day for one and for all.

A version of this was first published here.

Picture credits: Pexels

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