Parenting is draining , it can in it’s stride take away a lot of our personal time , resources, our mental and physical health. It’s one job in the world which is difficult to be done well , even with 99% commitment on a parent’s part , ironically a mother’s part. Not that many mothers who work full time don’t give their 100 %, they do thanks to a lot of support they have and some are just super women doing both really well. It’s about choices we made a long time ago. Sometime in our lives we all wonder, even when we say we have no regrets on spending most of our prime years …..some bit on our careers, but somehow not enough and more around our children giving them more than enough of our time.
A time when for our kids are ready to take their individual journeys. A time when we start thinking about what we did right and what was absolutely unnecessary. Reaslising that they just don’t need us that much anymore . All our children go away and go away they have to, to live their own lives. And don’t get me wrong here, I have never wanted to or would ever want them to not become their own people, living their lives, not dependent in any way …emotionally or otherwise on us …their parents.I am the happiest when I see them taking those big decisions themselves and see them comfortable in their own skin kind of people ….very very confident of their abilities and making the most of their blessings and circumstances.
A lot of interesting meaningful work later and many afternoons spent in my children’s company,tending to their needs, I feel a lot of my energy has been drained out. But when I look at the work I did , irrespective to giving that 100% commitment to my parenting role and the pleasure it gave me doing both simultaneously, I feel proud of having done so so well.
Like loads of mothers out there, the dilemma of starting afresh, hopefully this time with less distractions, making new goals , finding the courage to dream for ourselves and not for our families, finding more purpose, purpose beyond being there for our children forever, isn’t easy. And reminding ourselves that what we don’t have in our kitty anymore is the the vitality of youth , the stellar health, the impulsiveness and risk taking capabilities of our younger days.
What we have on our side instead is an unshakeable confidence in ourselves and a chance of doing whatever we want,with nobody to impress and nothing to lose.
So let’s go my friends , let’s waltz in the rain!
Make our own deadlines, be our own bosses!
Find more purpose and doing more than just some good work for ourselves and not just for our kids and families!
That phase of being 100% available for them is almost over, it’s our time now!
SAAKSHI SINGLA 