I am an easy-going mother – light-hearted and casual – as per Indian standards, and definitely not approved by many mothers in the society I live in. It is expected that if one has a single child – esp. a boy he has to doted on – all his mistakes are to be overlooked, he has to molly-coddled, extra extra extra care has to be taken about his food habits (fuss over him to eat more); when he is sick I should be at his bed side fanning and feeding him rather than encourage him to bear and handle the pain and enable him to recover.

Well, its just that I do not believe in all this. I believe that as a single parent I give him the best platform to educate himself, encourage him to grab the best opportunities available to him within the economic constraints I have, point out his mistakes and get him to correct himself and support him when he takes risk and fails. As per society’s standards these are not what a mother should do. I not agree. That always leads me to question : what exactly is motherhood? Who defines motherhood – the mother or the child or both or the Society?

Is motherhood associated or deeply ingrained in the culture of the country? Does it have to do with religion? or does it have to do with mother’s personality? Who defines it?

Should I always and every minute strive to be an ideal mother? If yes, then how would describe an ideal mother? Aren’t all mothers beautiful? If that is true, then all mothers are ideal in their own way?

Motherhood implies unconditional love – which to me, translates as unconditional support to your child with respect to what they love to do, to help them find their identity and above all, to just let them be.

Motherhood, according to me, has to be defined by the mother – it is as expansive as the ocean below or the sky above – not as narrow like the kaleidoscopic lens of the society.