We moms, especially the stay-at-home kind,
Must be so very resented.
We must seem like hags to you little ones
For dictating your little lives.
Every morning we draw those blissful blinds
And wake you up from dreamland.
Whether you’re hungry or not, breakfast, lunch
And dinner are a must.
We limit TV-time, playtime, junk food,
And everything else that spells fun.
We give lectures about veggies and the need
To brush your teeth.
Till you pick up after yourselves, Till you
Finish that last morsel on your plate,
Till you finish your homework and
Pare those toenails, we pester you.
We point out what’s socially unacceptable
What’s naughty and what is nice.
We switch off the lights and put
A full stop to your fun-filled day.
We decide what the world would call you.
We put an end to the luxury of diapers,
Allow the doctors to prick you,
And even pick out your clothes, shoes and toys.
Oh! we must seem like horrible, horrible women
Who mark your boundaries.
We moms, really must be so very resented
For breathing down your necks.
Previous mommy-post - Of mommy-guilt and mommy's separation anxiety
Must be so very resented.
We must seem like hags to you little ones
For dictating your little lives.
Every morning we draw those blissful blinds
And wake you up from dreamland.
Whether you’re hungry or not, breakfast, lunch
And dinner are a must.
We limit TV-time, playtime, junk food,
And everything else that spells fun.
We give lectures about veggies and the need
To brush your teeth.
Till you pick up after yourselves, Till you
Finish that last morsel on your plate,
Till you finish your homework and
Pare those toenails, we pester you.
We point out what’s socially unacceptable
What’s naughty and what is nice.
We switch off the lights and put
A full stop to your fun-filled day.
We decide what the world would call you.
We put an end to the luxury of diapers,
Allow the doctors to prick you,
And even pick out your clothes, shoes and toys.
Oh! we must seem like horrible, horrible women
Who mark your boundaries.
We moms, really must be so very resented
For breathing down your necks.
Previous mommy-post - Of mommy-guilt and mommy's separation anxiety
That's a very interesting way of looking at! Surely with all the instances that you have listed, it looks like children will despise 'stay-at-home'kind of moms. Of course they will realise later in life the importance all you teachings.
ReplyDeleteOne suggestion- you are addressing the children as 'you' generally; however in the second stanza you inadvertently call them 'they'.
It's just that when we're at home, we're constantly policing them. Being moms, we can't help doing that. From a little one's perspective, however, these are not the nicest of conditions to live under.
DeleteYes, we wish that someday they will understand, like we did :). Somebody once told me that when a mamma admonishes, you don't really hold it against her, for the rest of your life. The more I thought about that, the more sense it made. I guess - in an odd way - we'd rather hear things from our mothers than have somebody else hurt us with their words.
Thank you HV for pointing out the mistake. I overlooked that. I've made the correction. Thank you, once again :)
Mommy thoughts so universally true, and so beautifully penned too,DN! Great post!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much AA. Kids can be annoying sometimes but really, a lot of the time, we parents can be more annoying, right? :)
Deletehow true! :-)
ReplyDeleteYeah Uma, how we hate doing it. Yet, we just HAVE to do it. Ah! Motherhood.
Deletegood one...and so true!
ReplyDeleteThank you Hari. Welcome here. :)
DeleteBeautifully written. I guess I know why it was written in verse: you can sing this out as a Lullaby to the little ones! You are smart!
ReplyDeleteThank you USP.
DeleteMe and singing? That too lullabies? No way...I look to Kenny G and his Forever in Love to do the honours.
I think the reason for taking to this format for this piece was that it allowed me make a long list of all the 'awful' things that the mother in me does.
Lovely Draconian Mom:) A very sweet weave!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mr. Bhatia.
DeleteDoing all that I am having to do, I do feel quite evil. :)
luxury of diaper - i love it! and i have felt (since 8 months) it is one of the smart inventions that has ever taken place! :)
ReplyDeleteit is a cute post - an interesting way to look at a mommy!
Shal, I began to look at that as a luxury when we began the toilet training that I dreaded so much. That's not exactly my idea fun. All the best. :)
DeleteBaby S must be all over the place, alle? Are you waiting for him to begin talking? Gosh, it's so entertaining. I love this stage.
Lovely perspective on every common phenomenon
ReplyDeleteLoved the take D :)
Hey Deepak, Thank you so much.
DeleteJust where were you? You were missed. When do we get to read you read you again?
:D :D :D dunno, i found it sweet and funny. not going to look at it seriously.
ReplyDeletenicely done. made me smile. was thinking about the days when i was a kid :)
Hey Deb, Don't rack your brains over this. :)It all started out in fun. I remember putting something away (from the little one's reach) and saying - ah! he must hate me for this. And then I looked at things from his perspective and ended up writing this.
DeleteThank you. I'm so glad it reminded you of your younger days. I'm guessing you were mischievous and your mom was constantly saving your life. :)
and you are loved more than anything/anybody in this universe!!
ReplyDelete...despite all the rules and all, right? That's kinda weird, na? :)
DeleteAnd we form the heart of the you!
ReplyDeleteCheers
Sush
Hey Sush, welcome here.
DeleteLoved your Doha sunset picture. It's so out-of-the-world.
agree with magiceye!! moms are the best!!
ReplyDelete:)
DeleteWe all despise all the restrictions mothers put on us as kids but in the end we love them. There is nobody in the world quite like a mother. :) Beautifully penned. :)
ReplyDelete:)
DeleteIt's that 'end' that makes us mommies feel better. :)
Thank you Akshay, hope to see you around here more often.
Moms can never be despised - their patience and infinite love are divine!! Nice write!
ReplyDelete:)
DeleteThank you, Mr. Menon.
The Mommy The Poetess!!! nice work and very much true...
ReplyDelete:) Thanks Deepu. I'm not too much a poet really. Some are just easier to write when in verse.
DeleteDoes your wifey feel this way too?
She goes to office at 8:15am and comes back by 6:30pm or later, so she gets time only to imagine things :(
DeleteShe says the best time in her daily routine life is when she rides on her scooter to and fro in the morning and evening, when she listens to music using her mobile and head phone.
Good for her. She doesn't have to feel so bad about policing the little one all day long. :)
DeleteAwesome!!! We moms have to play the evil role quite unwittingly but that is our burden to carry. But I hope to god that our little ones never ever despise us for that. :)
ReplyDeleteSo true Swapna... it is our burden to carry. We can only hope that someday they will understand that it was all a part of the responsibility of 'bringing them up.'
DeleteBeautiful, yet with a tinge of humor in it..... it is the agony of all moms: to instill good habits, but be the 'bad guy' for it!
ReplyDeleteYou said it. That was exactly what I meant. :)
DeleteThank you, Amruta. Welcome here :)
That is so true. But they know why you are doing it and appreciate it when they grow up. Do check out what I had written at http://cybernag.in/2011/02/a-bundle-of-%E2%80%98no%E2%80%99es/
ReplyDeleteThe kids acknowledge your contribution to their lives after they grow up, like mine keep doing, now that I am a grandmother :)
Thank you for the reassurance, Zephyr.
DeleteI hope my little boy will understand someday. The toddler that he is now, doesn't quite know so I do feel bad about being such a killjoy but it's not gonna make me stop doing what I do, coz that feels wrong too. :) So I continue to be the 'bad guy,' as Amruta rightly put it (in the comment above).
Zephyr, thank you so very much for your kind words. Moms (and gran'moms) understand. :)
Thank you for that link. I'm on my way to your blog.
Aw :') but moms are the BEST!
ReplyDelete:)
Deleteha ha awesome...........lovely !!!!
ReplyDeletebut truly Mumma's complete are lives , they are everything..a million thanku to god for creating Mumma's...........loved your post :)Happy belated Mother's day
Thank you so much, Saikat.
DeleteYes we mothers do all this but it does discipline the child-you have peeped into a child's mind v. skillfully.
ReplyDeleteIt does discipline them. And when they are little ones, it's not too difficult to get them into certain good habits. But sometime I do feel bad about all the pushing I'm having to do. I hope someday, I'll be able to look back and feel good about it all, like Zephyr says. Have you read this post of hers - http://cybernag.in/2011/02/a-bundle-of-%E2%80%98no%E2%80%99es/
DeleteShe sure did make me feel better by sharing it with me.
Wonderful write :) Feels a lot guilty sometimes, but hey, we have to do what we have to do!
ReplyDeleteYou're right. Much as we don't like doing it we have to do what we have to do. It's great to hear from mommies who feel the same way. Now I don't feel too awful. Thanks Meoww. :)
DeleteI could relate to this post out-and-out because i am going thru the same crises. Anyway, i'm trying to mellow down these days, control my aggression and be as sweet and nice as possible, but strict at the same time.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure, Jini. We've to try to create that balance and not lose it, right? ;)
Delete