A Mother's Story

Here is a beautiful story from a mother who got the surprise of her life from her family on Mothers Day. Go ahead and enjoy the story as it unfolds! In this article Feeling Down Surprise! Mommy DearestFeeling DownAh Sunday! How blessed the word sounded! My children routinely wondered why I made so much of Sundays, since according to them, everyday is a Sunday for me. However, as all other homemaking mothers would empathise, the rest of the days of the week were as much working days for me as they were for my family. I was not, technically speaking, a mere homemaker; I was a freelance writer and consultant with various publications. But, it did little to change peoples perceptions. To them I was, after all, nothing but a stay-at-home mum. I was aghast at myself for drowning in negativity on such a bright, full of promise Sunday morning. Perhaps a coffee would do me good. "But you will have to run to the milk-booth for milk first. And when you return, everyone will be up, hankering for breakfast. By the time you get your coffee, it will be mid-morning," my niggling mind reminded me. I sighed. Could this Sunday not be different for once? The street was as silent as a city lane could be as I walked to the booth. With hardly any sights or sounds to distract me, I found myself counting my steps. Very soon, my mind shifted back to its litany of grievances. When I was a child, there were my parents and my teachers to offer the occasional praise. When I had a regular job, I had my superiors to pat me on my back and reinforce the sense of accomplishment. But now I seemed to live a monotonously thankless existence. It was not that I wanted any special recognition for doing something that women all over the world do. All I wanted was to not be treated as a doormat and a lesser human being. My husband and my children loved me, but, of late, I had begun to wonder if they respected me enough. Surprise! I was just about to turn the key in the lock when the door opened by itself. I looked up in surprise at my husband. Since when had he started to wake so early? "Good morning, Sheela!" My eyes widened again. His words to me were generally, "Where is my coffee? Has the newspaper not come in yet? "It seemed that there were more surprises in store for me. There was breakfast neatly laid out on the table, with cutlery in place. My daughter, Aastha, who had never set foot inside the kitchen before, was standing ready to serve, an angelic smile on her face. "There are still some months to go for my birthday!" I could not help saying. "Oh, we know that!" my eldest child, Arjun, assured me. Breakfast was unbelievably devoid of arguments or insolence. After breakfast, the whole family settled down to watch television. "What do you want to watch, mama?" Arjun asked. I stared at him. No Sachin (my hubby) settling for BBC news? No Aastha screaming for the music channel? No Arjun snatching the remote and pressing the button for Star Sports? I had been denied my choice of programmes for so long that it took me a while to exercise the sudden privilege. We eventually watched a well-loved comedy. All the television viewing made me late for lunch. Wonder of wonders, there were no complaints regarding my tardiness. "Had fairy godmother waved her wand in the night?" I pondered. Finally, it was time for rest. It had been an eventful but enjoyable day. The entire family had gone out boating in the evening. It had been years since both Aastha and Arjun had come along. And for the first time, my preferences and opinions had been taken into account at every step, all through the evening. It had felt good. I looked up from my reverie to find the three musketeers looking at me. I raised one eyebrow. "Happy Mothers Day," the three shouted unanimously. "Im not saying youre my mother, just showing my appreciation as well!" hubby dear clarified. "So thats why you have been as good as gold today," I exclaimed. "Well, we thought, rather than gifting you some perfume or chocolates and be done with it, we would do what you really wanted us to—be the perfect family." "Perfumes and chocolates are fine too," I said and we all laughed. Mommy Dearest All of a sudden, just after dinner, the thought of my own mother popped into my head. There had been a time when she was the keeper of my secrets and the balm for all my wounds. Now, I could not remember the last time I had seen her sweet smile. It was too late to get gifts. But it was not too late to hear her voice! I telephoned mama and we talked for over an hour, about both momentous and trivial matters. I wished her "Happy Mothers Day" knowing that she did not have the remotest idea what it meant! I shared my happiness over my familys gift with mama. The joy of reconnecting with loved ones proves that you must never lose the connection in the first place. I ended with an "I love you, mama". It had been a wonderful Mothers Day.

Here is a beautiful story from a mother who got the surprise of her life from her family on Mother's Day. Go ahead and enjoy the story as it unfolds!

Feeling Down

Ah Sunday! How blessed the word sounded! My children routinely wondered why I made so much of Sundays, since according to them, everyday is a Sunday for me. However, as all other homemaking mothers would empathise, the rest of the days of the week were as much 'working days' for me as they were for my family. I was not, technically speaking, a 'mere' homemaker; I was a freelance writer and consultant with various publications. But, it did little to change people's perceptions. To them I was, after all, nothing but a stay-at-home mum. I was aghast at myself for drowning in negativity on such a bright, full of promise Sunday morning. Perhaps a coffee would do me good. "But you will have to run to the milk-booth for milk first. And when you return, everyone will be up, hankering for breakfast. By the time you get your coffee, it will be mid-morning," my niggling mind reminded me. I sighed. Could this Sunday not be different for once? The street was as silent as a city lane could be as I walked to the booth. With hardly any sights or sounds to distract me, I found myself counting my steps. Very soon, my mind shifted back to its litany of grievances. When I was a child, there were my parents and my teachers to offer the occasional praise. When I had a regular job, I had my superiors to pat me on my back and reinforce the sense of accomplishment. But now I seemed to live a monotonously thankless existence. It was not that I wanted any special recognition for doing something that women all over the world do. All I wanted was to not be treated as a doormat and a lesser human being. My husband and my children loved me, but, of late, I had begun to wonder if they respected me enough.

Surprise!

I was just about to turn the key in the lock when the door opened by itself. I looked up in surprise at my husband. Since when had he started to wake so early? "Good morning, Sheela!" My eyes widened again. His words to me were generally, "Where is my coffee? Has the newspaper not come in yet? "It seemed that there were more surprises in store for me. There was breakfast neatly laid out on the table, with cutlery in place. My daughter, Aastha, who had never set foot inside the kitchen before, was standing ready to serve, an angelic smile on her face. "There are still some months to go for my birthday!" I could not help saying. "Oh, we know that!" my eldest child, Arjun, assured me. Breakfast was unbelievably devoid of arguments or insolence. After breakfast, the whole family settled down to watch television. "What do you want to watch, mama?" Arjun asked. I stared at him. No Sachin (my hubby) settling for BBC news? No Aastha screaming for the music channel? No Arjun snatching the remote and pressing the button for Star Sports? I had been denied my choice of programmes for so long that it took me a while to exercise the sudden privilege. We eventually watched a well-loved comedy. All the television viewing made me late for lunch. Wonder of wonders, there were no complaints regarding my tardiness. "Had fairy godmother waved her wand in the night?" I pondered. Finally, it was time for rest. It had been an eventful but enjoyable day. The entire family had gone out boating in the evening. It had been years since both Aastha and Arjun had come along. And for the first time, my preferences and opinions had been taken into account at every step, all through the evening. It had felt good. I looked up from my reverie to find the 'three musketeers' looking at me. I raised one eyebrow. "Happy Mother's Day," the three shouted unanimously. "I'm not saying you're my mother, just showing my appreciation as well!" hubby dear clarified. "So that's why you have been as good as gold today," I exclaimed. "Well, we thought, rather than gifting you some perfume or chocolates and be done with it, we would do what you really wanted us to—be the perfect family." "Perfumes and chocolates are fine too," I said and we all laughed.

Mommy Dearest

All of a sudden, just after dinner, the thought of my own mother popped into my head. There had been a time when she was the keeper of my secrets and the balm for all my wounds. Now, I could not remember the last time I had seen her sweet smile. It was too late to get gifts. But it was not too late to hear her voice! I telephoned mama and we talked for over an hour, about both momentous and trivial matters. I wished her "Happy Mother's Day" knowing that she did not have the remotest idea what it meant! I shared my happiness over my family's gift with mama. The joy of reconnecting with loved ones proves that you must never lose the connection in the first place. I ended with an "I love you, mama". It had been a wonderful Mother's Day.