To my Ma,

For 23 years of my life, every morning I’ve known you to wake up before me and daddy. I’ve seen you juggling chores in the kitchen; boiling the milk, preparing the breakfast, packing our tiffins etc. Then you hurry to school, spending the next 6 hours ensuring the coming generation form a better society. You come back home worrying about my lunch and at times wash up the dishes if the maid has taken a day off. You spend the afternoon tidying up the mess I am so adept at creating or if lucky take an afternoon nap. The evening is the first time in the whole day, when you relax in the balcony with a hot cup of tea. But it isn’t long before you don back your busy bee attire and get down to dinner plans often forsaking interesting bits of your favorite soaps. Finally, when dad and I are snoring away, you sit up late to finish up your school work.

Life is short Ma and time is running out. Yet you and millions of women like you limit their lives looking after their spouse, providing for their children, running the house, finishing up office work….the list is endless.  So ma, for you, I’ve made a list of ‘to do things’ with the hope that one of these days you’ll follow it.

1. Sleep for an extra hour in the morning. Relish that lazy morning feeling. Enjoy that last few moments of your nap where you are wide awake yet lie with your eyes closed, convincing yourself to fall back asleep.
2. Every morning, breakfast need not be a royal spread. A simple bread toast is also enough. Use the leftover time to enjoy your morning tea in peace and at times even allowing us (me and daddy) the honor of serving you breakfast in bed.
3. Office work is never ending Ma. It will be as tiring and endless till the day of your retirement as it was on your first day of work. So take a break once in awhile.
4. When was the last time you dressed up just for the sake of looking pretty? Neither for a wedding nor for an office party but just to try on that new dress you bought ages ago but never found the right occasion to wear it. Dress up, parade in front of the mirror, remember your teenage years and let that pretty smile light up your face.
5. Go meet your girlfriends. Relieve yourself of all the excuses that kept you from hanging out with them. Have a girl’s day out and have a blast.
6. Ma, for god’s sake the house need not be spotless every single day. I agree I am messy but it’s because you’ve taught me that you’ll be around to clean up. Let me live in my mess for a few days, trust me I will clean it up on my own and in the process learn a valuable ‘hygienic’ lesson.
7. It’s high time you sit down and enjoy your favorite soaps instead of straining your neck through the kitchen door, catching mere snippets of dialogue and missing out on most of the scenes.
8. Let dinner be salad or fruit chaat, saving you time to finish your school work well before mid night.
9. Its time you finally move beyond the second page of your novel. Feel that familiar sense of oneness you feel with the book as the story progresses and let the excitement build up a storm in your tummy as the suspense reached its peak. Happy reading!
10. Last but not the least Ma, talk to us. I know most of the nights you are too exhausted and simply eager to hit the bed but there is always so much to tell you that once in awhile let’s sit down and discuss what’s happening in our lives.

I understand habits don’t change overnight and nor do years-old routines. But if someday you takeout time to do at least one of the above mentioned things, I will feel happy that in some way I succeeded in making your day lighter.

With loads of love

Your daughter

- Neha Menon

About the author – Neha Menon aspires to serve her nation as an able civil servant in near future. Behind that grand ambition lies a budding writer who is both, sensitive and sensible. Her writings invariably touch the hearts of those who have the fortune of reading them.

Image Source - LTphotosNY’s photostream

4 Responses to Dear Ma

1. nice indeed!

2. So true for all Ma’s. very well written

3. Very well expressed.

4. Just beautiful, thoughts on giving her own time who spends the whole life for betterment of family.