Raise a gentleman

The other day, my four year old came from school and said, "We should not hit girls. We should protect them.". His words started a train of thoughts in my mind, while I was contemplating my response. On one side, it was an opportunity for me to teach him the valuable lesson to respect women. An opportunity to teach him that he is right, we should never hit a girl with words or actions. We should be gentle and polite to women and stand by them. On the other hand, I did not want to send the message that girls are weaker and boys are superior and girls need to be protected. While I was fighting with these thoughts, I just murmured, "Yes, that's right." and ended the conversation.

My thoughts did not end there. After thinking more I feel, yes, in the perfect world, we will not need to appoint guards to support girls. Unfortunately, we do not live in that world. Be it the air conditioned offices at corporate America or streets filled with uneducated people at New Delhi ( plus little Indian towns), girls need support and encouragement. In corporate offices, women are judged on different parameters than men. Studies have shown that women are interrupted in meetings more than men. Men do not hesitate to take credit for women's ideas or their work.  Same idea presented by a man takes everyone in awe while a woman's idea goes unheard. We need more men and women in office to build a culture where woman gets heard and gets her due credit.

Back at home (India) and in many other societies, women (Be it teen aged girls or middle to old aged ladies) need to be accompanied by so called protective men to protect the ladies from other not so protective men on streets. Street are filled with men and women alike who judge the women from hemline of skirts or 'anchal of their dupatta' (scarf to cover the breasts). We need other gentlemen who can stand up with women against these guardians of society.

While struggling with these thoughts, I believe, it is right to teach my boys that we don't hit women. We need to teach them that woman is there to be heard, to be encouraged and to be given freedom of choice just like boys. Only when we have such men, who know how to respect a woman and treat her with dignity, we will have no need to protect her.

As a mother, I take that responsibility to raise my two little boys as gentle men who know how to respect, listen and protect a woman.

Happy Mothers Day

This is my fourth mother's day as a mom. It has been amazing, exciting, fun but crazy time.
Here are my favorites of motherhood:
Gone are the days when 'Times' and 'Business Today' used to be the first choice of magazine. Favorite magazine now is 'Parents' magazine.

Only book I have read other than the kids story books is book about 'picky eaters'. Have read 'Good Night Moon' and 'Runway bunny' at least 1000 times by now.

I am now an expert in taking shower in three minutes. I feel lucky if I get those three minutes during the day. Usual shower time has shifted to 9 p.m just before putting kids to sleep.

Every night, I hope that kids will sleep and I will be able to get 'me' time. But then call it laziness or whatever you want to, I am unable to put that kiddo sleeping on my chest; down on his bed. Hence My bed time has shifted to 10 p.m as well with one kid sleeping on top of me and other on my extended arm.

I have memorized all nursery rhymes by heart. I don't really notice listening those in car even when kids are not around. My youtube page is filled with TV shows like curious George, Mickey mouse and Disney movies.

No stress is bigger than kids not eating properly, which has been a constant struggle. Only thing which is terrible than that is when they throw up after an hour long stressful eating session.
Nothing hurts more than kids feeling sick.

Any shopping is incomplete without atleast one kids' item in the list.

The best place in the mall is kids play area. Many times this had been our motivation to go to mall on muggy days.

Extending your hand when kid is about to throw up has become like reflex action. It sounds gross while writing about it, but at that moment I don't even think of it.

I feel surprised when I find a neat pair of clothes without any food marks on it. Sometimes I have found stains while sitting in meetings at office. Now I just try to scratch those off without a hint of frown.

It takes six sittings to finish a movie. Infact movies have turned into series of episodes.

Laundry keeps piling up after several attempts to fold it on time. Sometimes these attempts get wasted when kids start jumping over the folded clothes. This list goes on.

These are just few fun things of being mom. All this is worth when the reward is invaluable hugs and kisses. I am sure all you moms can relate to this. So wishing all you super moms a very Happy Mothers Day. Special Thanks to my mom for doing all this for me and my siblings, while working relentlessly at home.