Bhubaneswar: Mother’s Day celebrates the selfless efforts and sacrifices of those women, who have the family’s welfare uppermost in their minds.
For working women, the task is even harder as they seek to earn respect and be self-independent financially, as well as build a healthy family life.
From facing criticism to not getting support at home in the years gone by, women have come a long way to achieve what they wanted to without letting their dreams die.
Women can run miles to set up a home, but the cooperation of their loved ones and children is also important. Many women single-handedly help in the proper functioning of homes, because they don’t find survival to be a burden. It’s a skill everyone, regardless of their gender, must learn.
Seema Nayak, a working woman and mother of Manvi, considers herself to be lucky.
“I have never let my ambition down because I have a daughter. I’m lucky to have a mother-in-law who supports me and is bringing up my daughter in my absence. She says that if she doesn’t allow me to work, there is no point in raising Manvi to be an independent woman. My husband is a busy man, but when he’s at home, he helps Manvi in her studies. He helps with the cooking as well. Today is Mother’s Day, so my husband made pasta for me because it’s my favourite,” said Seema.
Babita Mohapatra, another working woman and mother of two children Ankit and Jagruti, spoke about her desire to help her husband.
“I’m a banker. I don’t just work because I want to, I want to help my husband financially. My husband earns a lot, but I want my children to live a lavish life. When I leave home for work, they are off to school, so my children don’t look for my presence at home. They did that when they were small, but are now mature enough to handle themselves,” said Babita.
Manyata Mishra, mother of Aditya, is a scientist who wanted him to be like her.
“But Aditya has mild autism and ADHD. He goes to a normal school and is loved by his peers and teachers. At home, we treat him with special care. Many people told me to stop working, and I did think of it, but didn’t quit. I had given my everything to become a scientist, and now that I’m successful, I can’t back off. He is a good student and wants to become a scientist too. He doesn’t miss my absence. Instead, he finishes his homework and goes to the park on his own to play cricket,” informed Manyata.
Sushmita Patnaik, a doctor and mother of two girls, said there is a lady at home who takes care of Anika and Anamika.
“I trust her enough to leave her alone with my children. My mother-in-law is bedridden, and the caretaker looks after her as well. My husband is a neurosurgeon, so he is very busy. We both take care of the girls’ education. When we want to spend time with each other, we videocall.”
Harapriya Mishra, a professor, is a mother of two children, Rajat and Manisha.
“I could help Rajat and Manisha academically. Rajat is doing an engineering degree and Manisha is in the 11th grade. My husband is a lecturer in Mathematics. My children had to hear always that they get better marks because of the help they get from their parents, and it’s true. People are jealous of working women, but they are more jealous of women who can balance raising their children and working for respect and reputation.”
