Mommy woes.

Living in my hometown with people who have packed social calendars of weddings and temple visits is not an easy task. After 16 years in hostels and 3 years of working away from home, I find this social life so frustratingly demanding. Every other day there is someone to visit in a hospital, or a newborn to welcome, a wedding/engagement/funeral, temple visits. Life has boiled down to timing Gs sleep patterns to packing his travel bag, refilling it the next time and having to count the number of clothes be ironed every other day. I see no joy in going to these places. Let's face it - a new born is a new born. The baby will never know Aunt Pragi visited. Let's face it - Weddings here are so crowded that the bride or groom will never remember Pragi came along with her baby. Let's face it - at a funeral you never know what to do. You are too fidgety, staring at your phone is awkward, attending a call is frowned upon and staring at the loved ones of the family is just plain painful. The social life here exists only to prove a point 'you came for my wedding/you visited my newborn/you attended my housewarming - so I'm doing it too.' The joy of a well spent evening with friends is so lost in the culture here. Everyone is looking for the well behaved and the well mannered and the courteous that everyone has missed the joy of fun and crazy.

With a lot of hate I attend so many events here. Pick a saree, pair the jewellery, pack the baby bag, and go. I truly think a person is allotted a number of fake smiles in life and I'm so scared I've already run out of mine. Middle age aunties want to know where the saree is from, women younger than them want me to know their daughter has a similar saree, ladies my age wear the same amount of detest on their face that I wear on mine. These events are so taxing. Ladies end up picking up G and walking away like he's theirs to keep. He gets kissed by so many people, I do scrub his cheeks a lots after we get home. Being a mummy is so rewarding but every mummy knows the emotional and physical stress it involves. Additional stress involves questions like - since you aren't working, what do you do in your free time? How, how, really how does one come to the conclusion that a working mom works and a stay at home mom doesn't? Really. 

Be it a working mother or a stay at home mother - the amount of work is truck loads. You don't get time to keep your feet up and finish a cup of coffee, or a meal, or the newspaper, or take a dump for that matter. Who concluded that a mother has free time? Who? Is there a section of people out there that just walk around with a bunch of questions to annoy people? Who sets these question papers for you guys?! 

Yes, I had the free time. A whole day of chasing, feeding, entertaining a baby who won't stop, won't eat and is bored already with TV, my iPad, toys, walks, water games and my phone. He fell asleep half hour ago. I've folded his clothes, washed his clothes, put away his toys, had my dinner, made my bad and written so much. I stop cause he's crying in his crib and needs to be cradled. 

Dear losers with nothing to do but assume things about others lives cause nothing is worthwhile in yours,

________________

P.S - it means, I have nothing to say.

Pragi