Sacrifises of a working mother

I owe a lot to my mother as far as my upbringing is concerned. As far as I can go down the memory lane, I remember my mother being besides me, always. She was there to bundle me up in her arms when I came back from school, she was there to make sure I ate adequate and nutritious meals, she was there to listen to all my woes (be it school, college, marriage), she was there to cast away all my fears and apprehensions, she was there to help me make tough decisions of life. In a nutshell, she was there whenever and wherever I needed her. I personally think that it was possible primarily because she had time for her children. And that was possible because she was a housewife. But at the same time, I wonder if she sacrificed much more than she had to. She is an educated and smart female who could have made her mark in any field she ventured into. But she chose to utilize her intelligence and exuberance in shaping her children’s life, in the confines of her home.

It’s a sour truth of life that if you want to raise your children efficiently, you have to let go of your career ambitions for some time. You cannot expect to climb the ladder of professional success and take care of your children at the same time. I have so many friends who had to either switch jobs or job profiles or be content with a less grueling designation in order to be able to devote more time to their kids.

Researches show a devastating impact that working parents have on their children who hardly get to see their parents. With less than 20 minutes spent with their parents every day, this is only enough time to eat a quick breakfast together or have a couple of bed-time stories. The time a working couple spends with their children daily, is barely enough to develop any emotional bonding between them. How can you expect your child to nurture good values, morals and principles when there is no one to teach these things to them? It’s said that a child’s mind is like wet clay, you can mould it anyway you like. Childhood is the time when you can make or mar his development. It’s very important to provide emotional, physical and social security to a child so that he or she can grow up to be a confident, smart and intelligent individual. Unfortunately, the onus of good upbringing of a child falls entirely on a female. With changing times, growing need for personal space, development and independence and plethora of opportunities available, how many females are satisfied with this option? Does raising kids always require creative and vocational scarifies from females? Shouldn’t it be the responsible of both the parents to mutually decide on a course of action?

I personally think that the male should give full support to the female in helping her fulfill both her duties, that of a mother as well as of a professional. Just imagine what good a depressed mother would do for a child in contrast to being an active and creative guardian. Nowadays there are numerous part time job options available which can help females work from home. This helps them to be with their child as well as prevents rusting of their creative personality.

The sabbatical from career to raise a child does not necessarily have to cost a female her confidence, growth and independence. A child completes a woman by imbibing more love and affection in her. The journey from womanhood to motherhood can be made more beautiful if a woman is encouraged to bolster her creative potential along with her other responsibilities.