Motherhood Through Our Kaleidoscope
‘Mom’ – this word in every language is designed to be easy on the tongue, as that’s the first word that most babies utter. But it’s evident that this simple word ‘Mom’ is infinitely deep and can never be woven into strings of vocabulary. Stories of motherhood are filled with sweet and spicy experiences and the shine of the umbilical relationship is not dulled by time.
At Parentous, we’ve seen as many types of mommies as they come. We’ve seen them glow with pregnancy, share stories of their little ones’ many firsts, and held hands with other mothers as they traversed the breathtaking milieu of motherhood. All mothers basically have the same hopes, dreams and concerns. Still, with this common thread binding them, every mother shows her individuality and uniqueness in the way they raise their children.
Today we delve into the world of motherhood and sift out the different facets they portray. From super cool mothers to over anxious ones, the mommies who tend to one single blossoming flower to the ones who deal with super active siblings, we are overwhelmed with the power that they all are bestowed with.
Starting from the day the happy news arrives, some moms freak out about the new chapter they are about to write while others land up in a baby store right away. From collecting tiny baby suits and trawling through the depths of Google for anything that helps, they all have varied experiences and personalities. Some moms echo out their predicaments and fear of going through the pain on D-day while many calmly wait for their bundle of joy.
There are phases of guilt of being new to the act and unaware of what follows next. The sudden barrage of questions that pop into their heads, alternating with overwhelming love for their child make being a new mother a daunting task. Ask a mother if she thinks she’s a perfect mom and most mothers will reply in the negative.
Mom’s to be chat with their peers and secretly pray to have a normal delivery and shed off weight right after the mission is complete and their baby is safely in their hands. As if the changes in their bodies are not enough, their prenatal phase is a roller coaster ride from the torrential outpour of healthy food, advice and long list of don’ts that comes their way to searching for ways to close the doors for stretch marks.
There is a perpetual struggle for working moms who suddenly are bestowed with ‘supernatural’ powers to multitask all day. From mornings of feeding, cooking and endless day at work,missing their child silently but still putting up a brave face, they are the ones who go all the extra miles when it comes to balancing their ambition and their mothering instinct. Calling from time to time just to check if their lovely one is fine is like a ritual of the day. Working moms are way ahead of science in this regard, being able to be in two places at once – their mind and focus at work, while their heart stays at home next to their little one.
Their stay at home counterparts have their own days of struggle with complete devotion to their babies and no escape from the role, not even for a minute. With kids being experts at doodling on the walls, wailing their lungs out without an apparent reason and finding the most harmful things around, a mother has to be a cop all the time. To make things more difficult, most people don’t realize what lengths stay at home or work from home moms go just to keep the house and their child in perfect shape. And of course, they are alien to the concept of weekly offs or break from routine which working professionals get.
Kids, for moms, are the best thing happening to them. The ones who just have one child are often stretched because of being the only company for the their child. They go through their own set of experiences, being a geostationary satellite to their single one who is the equivalent to a herd of wildebeest. Between listening to the kid’s stories and switching for play times, they fight through bouts of doubt whether to go go for another one or not!
Mothers with two or more kids have their own personal show time every single day. Their pregnancy phase becomes tougher with a child to take care of already, they are the true warriors in our eyes! Every kid has his/her own personality and managing them with equal love and affection is not a task for the faint of heart.
New age moms are more liberal towards their children’s choices while earlier it was much different. Mothers were overprotective and talking about the ‘S’ word was completely out of question. Now, mothers connect better with children and make efforts to remain in a comfort zone with them. Mothers with daughters have become more careful with predators lurking at every turn and fight for the freedom of their girls and support them in their choices.
Nevertheless, we still find moms who are always extra cautious, moms who freak out on a mere cough or a mild fever and rely on good ol’ tears to get through the day whenever anything to happens to their precious tots, before wiping away their tears and getting back to the mission at hand.We might not blame them for being high on emotions, and the irony is that they bear their own illnesses stoically, however serious they may be!
And then the time comes when your little caterpillars turn into butterflies and fly away or become grown up enough to think you as innocent and naive. The bickering, their worldly wisdom and sometimes their gyaan makes you want to go back to times when you taught them to hold a spoon or the basics of the alphabet. Such times (read teens) thankfully don’t last for long, and mothers move on to becoming friends to their grown up kids. And thank god for that, because that’s the time when mommies get to reveal their undiscovered aspects, happy in the knowledge that her children will be able to relate to her as equals now.
There comes the time when you marry your children off and welcome new sons and daughters into the family. You know they have found a place and person of their own, and happily divide the task of worrying and fussing over your child with someone else. The maternal bond is such that it cannot be ripped apart whatever be the distance. This sacred relation is what mothers will never want to retire from. Even when their little cubs move towards parenthood themselves, she is the one who would relive the memories again with her grandchildren, now with less responsibilities and more play time.
Motherhood has multifarious contours and a journey which is different, but just as all-consuming for every mother. With every child stepping into the world, a Mom is born and evolves in her own unique way. This Mother’s Day, Parentous pays a tribute to all you beautiful ladies who create the future and live through it each day. Each of you is perfectly designed for your little one, and you make the world shine brighter and smile wider just by being yourself. Mother’s Day is your day to step out from behind the cradle, the bedside and your workstation, and revel in your motherhood. Happy Mother’s Day.