Post #1 - The Ultimate Profession
During our Christmas holiday, my daughter turned 6. Someone asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up. I have never really asked her, I have always assumed that she would let me know (and secretly hoped she would be a dancer). Anyway, her answer was “I want to be a Mummy when I grow up”. I was torn. She didn’t say I want to be like Mummy when I grow up. What, about being a Mummy does she aspire to? I had to leave it a few days, and before I could broach the subject with her she told me, this time on the plane home, “Mummy, do you know, when I grow up I want to be a Mummy”. It was almost like she was proud that she had made the decision. So this time, mentally prepared, I asked her, what, about a Mummy would you like to do? Now, I’ve seen the lists: taxi driver, teacher, psychologist, career advisor, nurse, manager, financier, cook, cleaner, friend....I wasn’t about to get into all of that, so I just said, “is it because you like children?” To which she replied “yes” so I said why don’t you want to be a teacher then? And she said that’s too many children. Then it dawned on me, why I couldn’t talk to her immediately, why I had to process the statement. When she grows up she wants to be A Mummy. That is what I am. I have a small company, I would love to make it grow. I love designing, I love being creative. But at the end of the day my profession is Motherhood. I always felt ashamed of putting housewife in the profession/occupation section. For ages after I left engineering, I would still write Electrical engineer. I never even considered Motherhood to be a profession, but why not? As a mother you have to bring a life in to this world, nurture it, feed it, teach it morals, coping mechanisms, humility, humanity. As a mother you grow and learn with experience. How is being a mother any different to any other profession? For some people (men or women) Motherhood comes more naturally than other, just like any profession. I realised that there is nothing shameful in Simran actually wanting to become a mother, it is the one of the most selfless, rewarding jobs on the planet, the issue was compensation. The world revolves around money, and as long as it does, Motherhood has an issue. The First Lady doesn’t get paid. If Motherhood was paid or somehow compensated, women or men would finally be able to legitimately choose if they wanted to stay at home and look after their children or choose another profession. Discuss.