a quiz for mothers to see how good they are

Did you ever whack/smack your kid when the said kid, in combination with pals, hubby, in-laws, parents, bug you beyond endurance? It wasn’t an option to nip one of the adults, so the kid got it in the seat of his pants. He set up a howl like a banshee, drawing down the ire of all and sundry on you. Did you kiss and hug him as soon as you could? I bet you cursed yourself freely in your mother tongue or English. Whichever language you knew more ‘cuss’ words in. Give yourself ten marks for that.

Did you forget ‘Athithi Devo Bhava’ and say to his nasty little friend, through clenched teeth,’ You better stop this, child. Or else…’ The other kid took one look at your steely eyes and stopped teasing your pride and joy…another 10 for this lady.

Have you ever gone to School to meet his teacher, with your hair in a braid, sleeves rolled up and smoke pouring out of your ears, but spoke pleasantly to the teacher and sorted out the problem without, ‘I’ll tell the Management about you…’ threats? One more 10 for you, girl. Believe me, any normal kid hates to have his mom come to School and pick fights with his teacher. He is a marked man, then.

Have you hugged him fiercely when he cried bitterly ’cause he wasn’t picked for the play/the football team/the Maths Quiz and felt his pain deeply? You consoled him and didn’t offer sops such as the basketball team tryouts, The Literary Club or guitar classes…Take another 10.

He got his pocket picked, his girl ditched him, his friend betrayed him…you didn’t say a word but sat stoically though you wanted to hug him. He turned to you and you hugged him then. (Yes, you guessed it, 10 more to you!)

His social life picked up. You made all his favourite dishes and he went off with his friends for dinner. You said nothing. (Help yourself to ten, no twenty for this one!)

He is grown up now and you have ‘groan’ up too. Though he loves you (you think) he finds nothing right with you anymore. You laugh at all the jokes aimed at you, after swallowing the lump in your throat….Clearly you are a winner…throw your scorecard out…full marks in the quiz!

You forget you are merely human. We cannot be Mother Mary or Teresa. Nor was your Mom perfect. Just lighten up and forgive yourself.

Dear girls, this one is for all of us.

AVERAGE READER RATINGS

RATE THIS ARTICLE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chitra Doraiswami, 69, is from Bangalore. She has written for many publications such as the Deccan Herald, The Times, Femina, Eve’s Weekly, etc. Chitra has many an interesting tale to tell including the one about finishing her Masters along with her son; sadly “only” getting a First Class, where her son got a rank. She joined CMR, NPS as Headmistress two decades ago and is now known as the Associate Principal of the institution. She also has a sixteen year old grandson. Chitra is an avid dancer, reader and drama-enthusiast. She's traveled extensively with her husband who was in the IAF. She taught wherever they were posted. Chitra enjoys teaching people innovative ways of helping children learn, but she is definitely not the prototypical fluffy grandma!

See all Siya Writers