By Aindrila Chanda
I wake up every day at the crack of dawn,
To sip on a cup of lemon tea while lying on the lawn.
That is my only ‘me-time’ through the entire day,
As my beautiful, messy home silently lay.
Planning the busy day with a clear head,
Homework and meetings that lie ahead.
Oh, there goes Dad’s phone alarm ringing crazily from the bedroom,
Have to wake up the kids, but only after I tidy up the living room.
Wake up, my dear little children; it’s time for school,
The bus will arrive any minute, and being late is not cool.
Finish up your morning routine and put on the uniform,
I’ll make you some delicious breakfast and tiffin to carry on.
A mother has to make extensive preparations the night before,
Be it the schoolbag, meal prep, uniforms, or any little chore.
As the bus picks up the children, I heave a sigh of relief,
Getting ready for school on time is mastered only with belief.
The father is also ready for his work by this time,
Have to serve him breakfast and a cup of tea with lime.
By 8:30 AM, the house is deserted and eerily silent,
Let me take a shower and wear my favorite scent.
Waiting for the household help so as to pass over the reins,
I’ll drive the car to the office today lest it should thunder and rain.
I check in at 9:15 AM every day, and the commute is light,
Parking the car in the corner helps prevent a rush fight.
Presentation, report submission, site visit, meeting —
The routine is all set, along with little breaks for eating.
I reach home at 6:30 PM most days after a tiring time at the office,
The kids are home, bathed, fed, and rested by their dear Mashi.
The father is a doctor and working at a busy hospital,
His duty hours are erratic, and so he has little time.
My children are a boy and a girl, both below eight,
They get mad at me on days I am super late.
The two love their extra-curriculars —
Chess, drawing, and abacus.
Mother’s favorite hobby is to cook for the family,
The dishes are relished by everyone smilingly.
Sunday is the only rest day for Mother,
The time is thus spent without any bother.
I may lose my patience, mind, voice, and keys at times,
It’s only human to go out of your usual self sometimes.
“How do you manage office, travel, home, and the kids?” they ask.
Support from my family and hired help makes it a doable task.
Studying through sleepless nights, sacrificing your favorite series or hobbies —
Will you all give it up now that you are a mother who has other worries?
Instead of giving up on your dreams after becoming a mother,
Rise and shine for your children as compared to any other.
Never forget the dream that your parents had envisioned for you,
The sacrifices they made in educating and developing you.
Your children must idolize you as a beacon of resilience, hope, and light,
Instead of someone who keeps reminding them of her sacrificial fight.
Indra Nooyi once said that women cannot have the best of both worlds,
I often agree with her and always try to face the challenges hurled.
Those luxurious spas, massages, and beauty treatments are mostly distant dreams —
Who wants to spend time at a parlor instead of watching the children play with screams?
I am not saying that I don’t miss the things for which I had abundant time before,
But then you always have to leave out some aspects in order to gain something more.
The only feeling that I don’t want to die with is utter regret, which in my eyes is a crime —
Regret of either not harnessing my education or not giving my children enough time.
The one keyword that a working mother must always abide by is ‘Balance’,
And whatever else anyone says is nothing more than a loser’s parlance.