Motherhood, a profession???

Quite a hot discussion these days. This was triggered by Ms India 2017, Manushi Chhillar, declaring on an international platform that motherhood should be the highest paid profession. And it did win her the coveted Ms World crown. It did earn her some raised eyebrows, too. How dare she calls something as pious as being a mother a profession?

Well, my opinion has been very clear on this. It is a very touchy subject for me. It triggers a lot of underlying emotions for me. I call myself a full-time Mom. And I take my job very very seriously. 

Technically, no, motherhood can’t be a profession. The simple reason being that to be a professional, you need to have an appropriate qualification and/or training for that particular vocation. And I say this, hands down - no university can prepare you for the job profile of a mother. 

The job requirements that a mother faces are practically unheard by the rest of the world. Only one mother can understand the woes of another. You can recognise somebody from your clan by that knowing look from another mother at the super-market to empathise with your toddler lying face flat on the floor. All this while the older is running around, screaming on top of his lungs in some remote aisle of the store. Or, also, by the judging look of yet another mother whose oh-so-decent children are nicely buckled up in their car seats while yours are literally half out of the car windows. 

Whichever side of the spectrum you belong to, every motherhood experience is different. Even if it is for siblings. No two children are the same. Nor do the way in which you handle the problems are the same. The way in which I ‘tackle’ my daughter is different from the way in which I ‘manipulate’ my son. Now which classroom prepares you for ‘How to deal with the monster under the bed’ or ‘the I lost my one sock at 2am.’ ...??

You have never been to the medical school and would still know when your baby needs that strawberry flavoured syrup or just a rub on the tummy. I remember my baby’s first vaccination shot. It was painful for me. I just got stronger with each time. Even when they grow up, they look up to you for the feel-good when they are feeling low, with that warm soup and a nice heart-to-heart chat or just a knowing hug. You are their one stop shop for all their medical and psychological needs.

You cook the best food for them. Apart from becoming an on-demand chef, you also become a certified nutritionist. You hide the greens in the parathas and the broccoli in the pasta. You sneak in the carrots in the soup and cheese in everything that you can think of. 

You stay awake till late with them when it is exam time. Just sitting near them and not necessarily taking up their studies also boosts their morale. The mug of warm milk when you wake them early, for the early risers, works wonders for them. 

You drive them around for their classes while keeping in mind of their schedules and interests. Who better a chauffeur than somebody who will applaud them for their achievements and pat them on their backs during their not-so-good times other than you?

You nurture and inspire. You develop all the above skills, as and when required. Motherhood is not a profession according to the dictionary meaning but it is an on-the-job training which is never-ending even when your children become parents themselves. 

It is the job with the lowest salary (unless you count the hugs and kisses that keep coming your way regularly), humongous job expectations, no holidays or breaks, but definitely with the highest level of job satisfaction. Easier said than done. Children don’t come with a manual. They come with mothers, so to say. 

These are entirely my views. And to sum it all, I am a full-time Mom and I aspire to better myself at my job with every passing day. 

Both Priyanka Chopra(2000) and Manushi Chhillar(2017) exemplified ‘mother’ as an epitome of kindness and selflessness and everything inspiring and respectful, in their final question answer round.

Mothers do make you win crowns, too!