 |
|
|
|
|
|||||
|
|||||
|
|
|||||
 |
Gender equality I am a bit of a feminist, have always been. My friends at college used to tease me that if I ever had a baby boy, I would send him shopping for vegetables when he's still in the pram!!! Jokes apart, I do feel strongly about treating sons and daughters equally, giving them equal opportunities for growth and development, training them both in domestic chores and making them self-sufficient. The freedom of choice is all-important to me, though I do realise that 'choice' in the adult world is a very complicated issue, affecting all those whom you love and care for. My only grouse is that it just gets that much more complicated if you are a girl. And no, I did
not have a boy. I have a beautiful baby girl who I absolutely dote on.
Every parent knows how labour-intensive it is to take care of infants and
yet every baby makes it worthwhile with her innocent smiles, inimitable
babble and all the mischief she gets into (otherwise none of us would have
siblings!).
To work or not to work Well, the issue I have been pondering over is about going to work leaving your 'precious' in another person's care. I am a doctor by profession though I am at present staying at home taking care of my little one. But I will soon be returning to work and would then have to trust my little princess with a caretaker. Every mother knows how hard it is to do just that and I too am dreading the day I'll have to drop my baby girl at the nursery. Though people
say that you get used to it and that children settle down, etc., I wonder
if any mother is REALLY ever
free of the guilt. Research does say that children, whose
mothers started working after they were 1year old
, show greater problem-solving ability. I also believe
in the concept of 'quality time' which is any day better than
nagging or fussing over children or
just letting them be (on their own) ! I do not
mean this as a generalisation for all
'stay at home mums ( SAHMs). I have the greatest
respect for them and am fully aware
that cooking, cleaning and keeping house
is an endless and thankless job. It's just that
some individuals do not cope really well with staying
at home all day. They need the stimulation and distraction
that work brings, otherwise the frustration
gets the better of them. And I belong to this category.
The decision That brings
me back to my dilemma. In fact, I am surprised that I am feeling so diffident
at all for two reasons. First, I obviously do not want
to be a SAHM and second, my mum has always been
a working woman. I have always felt secure that my brother
and I were the focus of my parents'
lives. My mother has boundless energy and there is no way
she could have been a SAHM. I am inordinately
proud of her achievements.
To add your views on
this article or read others comments Click Here
|
