Being a working mother can be a roller coaster ride and most mums, that leave their kids behind while they are at their offices, feel guilty of doing that. Looks like, even our celeb mums go through the same dilemma.
"Being a working mother, I feel guilty as well, like right now I am here at this event and I have left my four-month-old son behind. But I also feel that it is an emotion and as a mother you tend to get emotional all the time and that's completely fine," says Genelia.
Genelia D'Souza spoke at the event, which marked the launch of "Baby Dove" the baby care range from Dove in India. There was also a panel discussion that highlighted the pressures and anxieties faced by an Indian mother, as revealed by the 'Real Mothers Hear' survey conducted by Baby Dove.
A photo posted by Julie At Life || Mom Blogger (@julieatlife) on
The panelists were Genelia and Tara Sharma, clinical psychologist Varkha Chulani and the ex-President of Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP) Uday Ananth Pai.
"From choosing a preferred way of feeding, educating and disciplining their child, or deciding if and when to go back to work, the Real Mothers Heard survey revealed split views among women, ultimately showing there is not one right way to parent. We note that all over the world, mothers are feeling the same way. We want mothers to know that when it comes to themselves and their babies, they do know best, " said Chulani.
The real mothers heard survey...
The event was moderated by prominent actress and parenting show host Tara Sharma, who also talked about the "Real mothers Heard" survey that was conducted among 1,000 Indian mothers by Edelman India on behalf of Dove
The survey revealed some glaring statistics that would make you ponder:
- While 79 percent mothers feel that motherhood is the happiest time of their life, 90 percent feel the pressure to be a perfect parent.
- 70 percent feel overwhelmed by the amount of information and advice on parenting and 70 per cent wonder if what they are doing as a mother is good enough.
- Only 78 per cent feel confident in their abilities as a mother and 77 percent feel they instinctively know what's right for their baby.
- Despite this, a whopping 70 percent sometimes question themselves about the choices they are making for their child.
- 67 percent working mothers report that they feel guilty about going to work
- 7 in 10 mothers feel they do not have enough time for themselves
- 54 percent mothers want to go back to work
Genelia, however, felt that mothers can do it all and while there are many people who would gives hundreds of advice to you, it is at your discretion.
Continue reading on the next page to know how Genelia reacts to the advice she gets!
"I don't think I ever left work. I have a four-month-son and I am at an event. So it's not a mother can't do it, she can. Like I take my children everywhere. I think women in general can multitask really well and it's also about being content at the end of the day. So you get a zillion opinions, but eventually it's upto you what you want to take and what you want to leave. And you would go wrong also many-a-times, so what! You correct yourself the next time," she said.
No mother is perfect
Tara reiterated the fact and said that there is no mother who can say that she is perfect so there is no reason to feel the pressure.
"I am regular mum. I make millions of mistakes and even I question myself a lot of times even though my kids are five and seven now," said Tara.
A photo posted by Bollywood4You (@bollywood4you) on
Genelia also agreed with it and said that there is no harm in questioning yourself as long as you don't lose the confidence.
"Every mother has certain qualities that might not match with other mothers, but it doesn't mean that you're wrong. It's nice to questions yourself once in a while but it's not nice to lose confidence in yourself as a mother. Over the years I have realised that my child can be only happy if I am happy," says Genelia.
Besides, the problems faced by new mums, the panelists also discussed that the mother's health and well-being is very important and families should take care of new mums even after the baby is born.
"Once you deliver the child, people just forget about you and concentrate more on the baby. They'd say 'How're the kids doing?' and I'm like what about me, even I exist," said Genelia.
We quite agree with the points made at the discussion and hope that we see a change in attitude towards new mothers after this.
Also Read: Why should working mothers feel gulity all the time?
If you have any insights, questions or comments regarding the article, please share them in our Comment box below. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Google+ and Twitter to stay up-to-date on the latest from theIndusparent.com
[Images courtesy: Instagram]
