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Living a life without regrets, this mother gave up a career to take care of her daughter before turning to writing! Here's what happens when you take chances!
Living a life without regrets, this mother gave up a career to take care of her daughter before turning to writing! Here’s what happens when you take chances!
I woke up one morning post my first wedding anniversary with a pregnancy test in hand. Now it was obvious for my doctor to suggest the same, considering I was way past my due date. And there it was, double bright pink lines appeared on the test. And voila! It was positive.
Though the news was sudden and unexpected, the response from everyone was as delightful as it should have been. My workplace was happy to accommodate someone who was up for the huge task of bringing another life in this world. The female colleagues went ahead and gave their expert advice on the same.
After managing the ups and downs of my pregnancy, my little birdie came into my life. And then life took a turn. Initially, I could hardly pay attention, let alone, adore her due to the excruciating pain of my stitches. Weeks passed and the feeling of doting (read insanely possessive) mother started creeping in.
But as Indian Labor Law would have it, I was supposed to join work after six months of maternity leave. I had already extended it to nine months. The first day back to work, I was super excited- not just to see my office family but that was the only chance I had to shed some kilos.
As I bid adieu to my little one, I felt my heart being pulled out of my chest. I don’t know how other mothers manage this, but I cried and ended up with mascara all over my face. That day, my office saw a zombie walk in through the gate.
Weeks flew and I’d come back home tired and dissatisfied. My husband was working from home and taking care of our daughter really well. But I could see something in her eyes- something that told me that she missed her mother the entire day. It may have been the mother in me making these assumptions, but my child was definitely not happy. She was losing weight, was way behind on her growth goals and not as chirpy as she used to be.
One fine day, I decided to quit my job and my husband (I have the best one) supported the decision. I went ahead and submitted my resignation. The bosses, though disappointed, were happy that I was doing what I wanted to.
Soon my routine changed to waking up my daughter, bathing, changing, diapers and playing lovely games with her. The house became our playground, legos spread like a carpet. I monitored her growth and as I expected she came back on the growth chart quickly. My little one was missing me! I wasn’t wrong.
There are some decisions in life which might make you question yourself initially. But soon, you realise that they gave you immense strength. Her laugh made my day and also made sure that I had No Regrets of leaving the job I once dreamt of.
After all that was dream before I became a mother. Now I was living a bigger dream, that of motherhood.
Once she was enrolled in school, I had more time to think about what I wanted to do in my spare time. The few years gap wouldn’t have given me back the old well-paying job. Secondly, I didn’t want to leave my daughter alone, once again. So I wiped the dust off of my old passion- writing!
Six months of late night writings, finally bore fruit when I submitted manuscripts to some educational publishers. Three months later, I heard from a firm who wanted to publish my book- ‘Pre-school Education Management.’ I haven’t looked back since then. One book after another, soon I was also co-authoring with some of the known authors in the field.
I was never given the tag of a responsible mother, rather, I was the spoilt one. While most mothers pushed their children to school I was happy letting her take a leave if she was tired. I was never finicky about the cleanliness in my house, my daughter was free to play with all her toys at once.
Whether it was playing with her swimming pool or going to dance class, I always taught her to follow what she wants to. After all her mother also did the same.
Just like any other mother I have no idea what future awaits me. But right now in this moment I am living my life to the fullest, I realised that this was one of the best decisions I took in my life. I was happy that I took this chance rather than regretting what else I could have done for my child.
Picture credits: Still from movie English Vinglish
Corporate life to mentoring college students I have been there done that all. Post a daughter I have started writing for universities. Latest entrant in the world of blogs, my writing keeps me sane. My 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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