Putree-vati Bhava!

This is how I wished a friend a couple of days back when she announced her pregnancy to all of her friends. Now, for one I know how much she is yearning for a daughter, so it didnt take me even a second to type ‘Putree-vati Bhava’ on her wall and wish her so :).

Whenever I hear anyone announcing the birth of their daughter- and this year itself quite a few I know, have been blessed with one already :)- what I feel is an immeasurable amount of joy! Why? Because daughters are a blessing! Arent they? Just as much as our sons. They are as much a gift of God as our sons are. They come into our lives with the same look of want and acceptance in their eyes as our sons. Then..

• why is it that a daughter, a gift of God, is still not an answer to our prayers, while the birth of a son is celebrated and much yearned for?
• why is it that every time a daughter is born, she is (un)welcomed into this world with a sense of dejection?
• why is ‘putra-vati bhava’ still considered the greatest blessing a parent could get?
• why is it that when a daughter is raped, paraded stark naked on the streets, abused or assaulted, SHE is considered a ‘disgrace’ – someone who brings shame to the society and ‘family honor’- as against her perpetrator?
• why is it that on one side we worship Goddesses while on the other we stoop as low as killing our daughters even before they are born?

When Namnam was born I remember the dejected remarks and looks of people that I had to counter- from the elderly to my prejudiced peers alike- because I had given birth to a girl child . I had had them come to me with a ‘consolatory’ blessing for a son next time around. Why, I have even had beggars come to me and wish me that I’d have a son if I gave them money.

I mean why? Why cant we get over this obsession for sons? Why cant we welcome our daughters with open arms just as well? Why cant we celebrate our daughters just as we celebrate our sons?

Isnt it time that we changed our prejudiced mindset? Let us give our daughters a chance to live and thrive in this world too.

Let this year be the year of daughters. Let them come into this world and grace us all, just as much as our sons. This year and the coming years. So to all those expectant parents out there…a wish coming from a blessed mother of a daughter- putree-vati bhava!

(S)welled up..

With pride.

The 5 and a half years of motherhood have given me ample and more things to learn, to grow as a mother( have miles to go before I can grow upto be even half as good a mother as my Ma though), to feel blessed. And I can never thank God enough for bringing Namnam into my life for she makes me appreciate this wonderful life as a mother all the more, for I learn a new facet of parenting everyday as I watch her grow. Be it her first smile, her first step, her first word, the first time she said ‘Amma’, be it the first time she said ‘I love you’ and every time after that, be it her first day in school, be it her first stage performance, each chapter in her life has been an overwhelming curve for me as well.

And yesterday was one such moment where my li’l sweetheart made me all teary-eyed and immensely proud like always.

Her school had organized its science exhibition yesterday. Her(rather her parents’) project was to make a volcano. And her teacher called up to tell us that she wanted Namnam to speak a few sentences as well on a certain topic on the given day. Now since R is the craftier one in the family, quite conveniently the task of making the volcano was handed over to him and I volunteered to take up the easier task of prepping Namnam for the talk :).

When the teacher called up to say that she wanted Namnam to speak in front of people, knowing fully well that she was one of those shy kinds who had to be pushed into coming out of the shell, I couldnt help but feel grateful yet again for she was blessed with such attentive and wonderful teachers in this academic session as well. Here was a teacher who knew she was shy and soft-spoken, urging me to prep her to talk a few sentences ‘loudly’- yes she must have mentioned the term loud at least 4-5 times in between our brief conversation :)- so she could come out of her shell and learn to be more confident to face the crowd.

So after all the prepping up, I was all nervous and excited about how the day would fare, while Namnam was plain excited! R & I walked in straight to her class room where the children and teachers had exhibited the projects and were all geared up with their presentations. I wont lie, but I couldnt hold myself still when Namnam finished with her talk. I just wanted to run and hug her tight and point my pride to everyone! But guess what, R beat me to it and ran before me to give her a tight hug and a kiss while I was fiddling with my video :(.  And yes she was  confidently LOUD enough for all the visitors present there to hear :). Although R & I knew she would give us and herself even more moments like this to feel proud of, yet we couldnt stop ourselves from telling her how proud we were of her, the whole day!

And I have no one but her school and teachers to thank for it so evident how much effort and care they had put in to help her bring out her confident self. Its moments like this that reiterate how a good school can be as instrumental in shaping a child and guiding her/him towards becoming a better person. At this moment all I can hope and pray is that Namnam is always blessed with such wonderful teachers to guide in every walk of her life.

Your day ends on a perfect note…

…when your daughter comes running to you and says, ‘ Oh, mama, the whole day I didnt give you a hug’ and gives you the tightest hug before heading off to sleep 🙂

Night-night,people !

I’m No Super-Mom.. (NaBloPoMo – Take 5)

– Who wakes up early in the morning, makes tea and then breakfast and then lunch for the entire household, waters the plants, packs lunch-boxes for the kids, dresses them up for school, and manages just enough time to get ready herself and scoots out for work

– Who can play basketball with her daughter’s friends with just as much panache as she can host parties or cook lavish meals for her son’s friends

– Who can speak to her son’s French girlfriend in impeccable French just as she teaches her daughter the nuances of music, with the notes and vibrato perfectly in place.

– Who ensures her house is spotless 24/7 with not a speck of dust.

I’m just a mom,

– who just loves to watch her daughter grow and treasure every moment.

– who believes her day is going to start on the happiest note when her daughter wakes up with the widest smile and the tightest hug to her.

– who walks around with the proudest glee when someone praises her daughter or when her kid gets her ‘Thank You’s and Sorry’s right making her feel that she is probably moving in the right direction while raising her child.

– who gets all teary-eyed and overwhelmed every time she sees her child performing on stage confidently with no inhibitions whatsoever.

– who remembers every little milestone of her daughter’s life from the first smile to the first word to the first step to the first first day in school and still yearns for more.

– who turns the fieriest when it comes to defending her child, who will not shirk to go to any length to ensure her child’s safety and welfare.

– who turns into a yelling and bickering mom every time her daughter decides to try her patience.

– who gets angry, even snaps at her daughter sometimes for no fault of hers. And then when she is on the brink of questioning her own parenting, pat comes a tight hug and a kiss tagged with an ‘ I love you, Mama’ to make her feel the most blessed and loved.

Courtesy Google Images

I’m just a mom, a normal, ordinary mom like any other human. I’m no God and dont wish to be. I’m just a human whose heart beats for her child like any other.

On this Mother’s day thats what I want- the acceptance, the acknowledgement that mothers are human too and not some super-being who has to get it right always.

Actually why on a particular day, make it every day of the year to acknowledge your mother and make her feel the most blessed and loved.