Raising Strong Daughters

*Long post ahead, sit back and read with a cup of coffee or chai

I’m blessed to have Z as my daughter, and frankly I always saw myself as a mom of a daughter from the time I got pregnant. I have been brought up in a household with 3 daughters and we were never made to feel any different. Our mom and dad never ever made us feel that we were any less. We were pampered, at the same time, we were allowed to rough it out, take our own decisions, make our mistakes and learn from them. Growing up we saw our parents as partners.  We were brought up as confident ‘individuals’ and we were told we can do anything if we believe in ourselves. 

Though, in India, this was pretty unusual back then. I did have people in the extended family who kept boys on a pedestal. Then there were friends who were supposed to behave in a particular manner, just because of their gender.  I didn't quite understand the hype about gender till I became a mom.

The Roller-coaster Ride called Parenting

Yesterday, I read these two articles which made me write this blog post. One says parenting is nothing but stress and pain … the other by a mom blogger totally glamorizes it (wouldn’t want to quote that here). Frankly, when I read the later, I fell in love with it as it said all good things about being a mom… when I read the newspaper article, I was fuming. When I sat back and read the articles again… I realized both the articles are showing a one-sided picture… which isn’t fair. 

Image Courtesy - Northshore Mums

Momsters Celebrate Mompreneurs - Niyatee Sharma (Squiggle)

Momsters (M): Who is Niyatee Sharma?

Niyatee (N): I am an Interior Architect by profession. My partner and I are both in the creative field. We love playing the Guitar and growing vegetables on our terrace garden. My son is 3+ and he loves to create his own toys using all sorts of junk lying around the house.

M: Before you became a mom... (Before you became a mom, what were you involved in?)

N: I was involved in the furniture and retail design {store design} sector.

Momsters Celebrate Mompreneurs - Priya Sachan (Shishu World)

Momsters (M): Who is Priya Sachan?

Priya (P): I am Priya Sachan, a software engineer, a wife and above all a mum to a 2 and half years old angel. I love cooking, reading and doing crafts as well. I stay in Bangalore with my husband and daughter and feel blessed to have the most supporting partner and family.

M: Before you became a mom... (Before you became a mom, what were you involved in?)
P: Before I was a mom, I was full-time software professional with a reputed IT company. I had worked in the industry for over a decade in various capacities.

Momsters Celebrate Mompreneurs - Anne Rakesh (Happy Knots)

Who is Anne Rakesh?

I am Anne Rakesh, originally from Kerala but currently based out of Bangalore. I and Rakesh have been enjoying conjugal bliss for the last four years and two years ago, that love strengthened a few notches with the birth of Megan, our daughter and our inspiration all the same.

Momsters Celebrate Mompreneurs - Deeptha Vivekanand

Who is Deeptha Vivekanand?

Deeptha Vivekanand, 31, is a storyteller and story-educator. She is an excellent people’s person, making new friends every chance she gets. She loves to eat, cook and read, simultaneously if possible! She’s a mother of a 2 ½ year old, highly demanding boy. No matter how busy she is, he insists that she stop doing everything and sit with him while he holds on to her arm while drinking his milk.  Her husband, Rahul, is a Consultant with Wipro; he specializes in CRM Training and Content Development and is also a serious photography enthusiast.  

Momsters Celebrate Mompreneurs - Bindiya Joseph

Who is Bindiya Joseph?

The name is Joseph, Bindiya Joseph. I’m not as cool as Bond (I suspect it’s because of the not-so-funny jokes) but I do a lot of things well, and I believe in reporting back properly to a higher boss. I have a small family of 3. My husband Arjun is a product designer and my daughter Sia, who in her own words is 3 ½ kilometers old. Sia means bringer of joy in Persian and she doesn’t have to try hard to give her doting parents just that. 

Momsters Celebrate Mompreneurs - Falak Randerian

Who is Falak Randerian?

With Faizan

With Zoe

Falak… that’s me… well if you are Momsters’ regular you must be aware of who I’m (I hope so). Introducing myself has never been tough but finding 100 new ways to do it… is… I will do in the way I know I’m good at “Once upon a time... there was a little reader and she loved her books. She believed in the magic of stories and that is what she wanted to spread. She grew up, and her love for stories and reading grew with her. She started a story and communication club & the magic of reading and books continued.”

Momsters Celebrate Mompreneurs - Rohini Vij

Momsters (M): Who is Rohini Vij?

Rohini Viraj and Mukul

Rohini (R): I am currently based in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. I was blessed with my son Viraaj in October 2011 and we moved to Kanpur, my husband's home town, in 2012. Viraaj is 2 years old now and indeed a bundle of joy! He loves reading and 'David' of the No David series by David Shannon is his role model. He is also is a huge fan of The Cat in The Hat by Dr Seuss and The Charlie and Lola series by Lauren Child.  He is my very first audience for all my storytelling sessions and his level of interest in the story in question gives me cues on how I can make the it more exciting and likeable for my other audience. His unsolicited kisses keep me going. I am immensely proud of him. He has transformed me from a mom who used to sob inconsolably  during his vaccinations to a proud mom who can't stop bragging about how he didn't even squirm (forget crying) for his 2nd year milestone shots. 

Momsters Celebrate Mompreneurs - Reema Kochar Vohra

Who is Reema Kochar Vohra?

I run Pink Cupcakes in Hyderabad in March 2012 and I love my work.

Campaign - Momsters Celebrates Mompreneurs!!!

I'm not just a mom, but I have been a Mompreneur for over 2 years now. And Momsters knows how tough it is to be a Mompreneur. We will be running a month long campaign (at least) 'Momsters Celebrates Mompreneurs!' from 11th of November onwards. Where we will be featuring a mompreneur every week.

So do keep coming back to know about a moms journey to become a mompreneur.

'It was a Miraculous Experience' says Aditi Varma

Ever since I was a kid I always wanted to be a mother. I guess I was blessed with ‘nurturing genes’ that made me ‘mother’ everyone all the time. Everyone around me from my childhood friends to my college classmates believed that I would be a great mother. So it was no surprise that within a couple of years after getting married I was eager to plan a family. It took some time for my husband to settle down and be convinced though, but finally he agreed. The only issue to tackle now was my health situation.

Since the time I hit puberty I suffered from irregular periods and even though I was a skinny child I quickly put on a lot of weight. In spite of my father being a doctor and numerous visits to many gynecologists, the situation hardly improved. Being overweight and having a period problem had become a normal part of my life. What I did not pay heed to was the family history of hypertension, diabetes, thyroid and heart problems. And then, in my 20s, it hit me.

An Adoption Story

We did a great story about Gina Maya Iyer, and we got a lot of readers love the story. Today we will be sharing story of another family who strongly recommend couples should go in for adoption.

Not so long ago I had the privilege of getting to know this absolutely wonderful lady who left me totally inspired. She & her husband are parents to two beautiful boys & one of them happens to be adopted. I have always looked up to people who extend their circle of love & warmth to children beyond the circumference of their umbilical cord. Here is one such beautiful soul narrating her journey through the process of Adoption.

We at Momsters pray for a house full of sunshine, love & happiness for this lovely family.

Identities of everyone associated with this article have not been revealed at the author’s behest. The idea here is to focus on the emotions of the people & not on who they are.

“I was given up for adoption the day I was born” - Says Gina Maya Iyer

At Momsters we believe in celebrating real moms, and this is the story of one such Mom. Gina Maya Iyer, says she was given up for adoption the day she was born in America. She was adopted by parents of Indian origin and shifted to India. Gina narrates her happy story, as she also says she always wanted to adopt a baby herself as well. Gina is now based in Mumbai and this is her story which was published in Bangalore Mirror.

How our relationship with our mothers changes after we have a baby {Mother's Day Special}

There are innumerable instances during our growing-up times when we have got irritated by our mothers in some way or the other. In more times than one, our petulance has been because of her fussing about things we felt we could handle with a breeze. Things remain more or less the same till there is a change in status-when we become mum & our mother becomes grand-mum. It starts that very moment when we hold our baby for the first time & feel that inexplicable new bond with him. That is when we realize what exactly our mother felt when she held us for the first time. That is when we start looking at every little “mistake” of her’s in a different light.

Communicating With your Little One

This is a chapter from my life and this was 1st published in Parentous 

 

Does communicating with your child means just giving instructions, setting boundaries, telling them what is wrong and what they cannot/should not do? I think it is extremely important to strike a one to one communication with your child.

5 Fitness Blog Moms I follow for INSPIRATION

Reaching your pre-baby weight is not really easy, but it is definitely attainable. You need to have a strong will; determination and you need to take out time regularly to work-out. I learned the hard way and thanks to Postpartum depression, it became all the more hard. Now when I meet a new mom, I tell them they should start working out. We need to start easy, and take a go ahead from your gynecologist before starting a schedule.

Sacrifices of iron-willed Mothers

Guest Blogger Deepa M. Kini

It was those days when I was learning how to bathe my baby. It was tough for me as my baby used to cry continuously due to colic and I had no choice but to handle a crying baby with shivering hands, trying to avoid water going into his ears. Apart from this, there were at least 4 elders surrounding me and telling me what to do. Oh! How I dreaded this time!

He came, I saw... he conquered - Deepa M. Kini

"Me" - Deepa M Kini
God has blessed me with a good family, good health and has provided me with opportunity to work for a reputed IT company. I love being with different type of people and conversing with people of all ages. I respect time - mine and others' too.

The arrival of Pranay in our lives definitely made "Me" feel special. A mother in me was born on the same day and this person in me is learning each day to bring up this beautiful little gift of God. I love it.. I lose it too, I believe it’s all part of raising a kid! The "ME" time in my life has gone out of the drain but is substituted by a "WE" time. This time is fun as well.

Breastfeeding: 1st Lesson towards Motherhood

Guest Blogger - Neiha Sharma

After a baby is born, the first and the strongest connect it has in the world is with itsmother. And breastfeeding plays the most crucial part in further strengthening this bond. Though a natural process, it doesn’t come very easily to both motherand infant. It’s the first lesson that an infant learns for survival and the first lesson or should we say, skill, for a woman towards motherhood. Like they say, with every newborn, a mother is born too!