An Indian mother occupies pride of place in every family. In fact, her position is central to her family. No wonder when Shashi Kapoor said with intense feeling, “Mere pass maa hai,” he echoed the sentiments of every Indian son and daughter.
A typical Indian mother takes her role as mother extremely seriously. Right from treating her younger brother in law as her son, she makes herself indispensable to her own children. Right from babyhood to adulthood, she is always there for them, through thick and thin, day in and day out. She loves selflessly, often sacrificing a very successful career to be a full-time, hands-on mother.
With the reins of her household entirely in her hands, she takes every big and small decision for her children and pre-empts their needs, thus keeping them in awe of her. Here are some commonly identifiable things Indian mothers do for their children, selflessly and with great love.
- When she serves you, you just eat even if you feel stuffed. In fact, she’ll absolutely insist that you eat just a little more.
- If it’s past sunset and you’re not home yet, she’ll keep on phoning you worried sick until you get home.
- She’ll wake you up each day more reliably than an alarm clock even if her own sleep is badly disturbed.
- Your mother knows how cold you’re going to feel once you leave home. So, she’ll insist you wear just one more sweater, just in case you feel cold.
- She always attended your Sports Day and Parent-Teacher meets and your teachers were always impressed by her interest in you.
- Some mothers can be overly careful of their children, so don’t be surprised if your mother covers her child in a warm blanket all because he sneezed once. Any other mother would put it down to hay fever, but an Indian mother? Oh no, she always knows better.
- As a child, you must have fallen sick like anyone else. Typically, your mother must have sat by your side all night wetting your forehead with towels while When you had a fever, she was up all night keeping wet towels on your forehead.
- This supermom also falls sick, in case you didn’t know. But what makes her a supermom is the fact that despite being ill, Indian mothers continue their hard slog to keep the rhythm of the family ticking normally.
- As a child, surely you have memories of studying late into the night. At such times, an Indian woman usually peps up your study time with a cup of hot milk or coffee so that you don’t study on an empty stomach.
- When it comes to loving her children, an Indian mother loves unconditionally. Whether she has a good-looking or an average-looking child, she regards her children as the most beautiful God ever made.
- When you did badly in your exams and your father scolded you, she often saved from the worst of it.
- You can eat on and on but to her, you’ll always be far too thin and weak.
Lessons to be learnt from an Indian mother:For all that she does for her children, an Indian mother wastes no opportunity to teach her children life lessons. Here are some of them:
The importance of discipline:Indian mothers teach the importance of being disciplined in daily life.The importance of eating at the same time each day, leading a neat and orderly life and putting things in their proper place are things only Indian mothers can impart. Obedience to parents and people the age of one’s parents are also what Indian mums teach, sometimes gently and at other times with a spanking.
Be honest: She teaches her children to be undyingly honest in every situation, no matter how difficult on them.
Be well-mannered: Indian mothers teach their children not to answer back, but to be quiet when they are being reprimanded.
Stick up for people who matter to you: Some Indian mothers may compare their children with others, still if someone is nasty to them, an Indian mother will stick up for her. A valuable lesson many Indian children learn every day.
Eat your veggies every day:Eating veggies isn’t difficult if it’s well-cooked. She also teaches us to give food the importance it deserves and that when we sit down to a meal, it should be to the exclusion of everything else.
Stick to routine, even if it means reaching home on time: You might reach late, but it’s important to always leave at the same time. Else, all other activities get out of gear.
A penchant for neatness: The proverb, Cleanliness is next to Godliness is never worked out better than what an Indian mother practices. By keeping a clean home with things in their right place, she teaches her children the necessity of neatness in one’s environment.
Develop killer instincts and go by them:By looking at an individual just once, an Indian mother can tell exactly whether he is good or bad.If you too have inherited such killer instincts, you can go a long way in a difficult world.
Be alert and highly responsive:You always need to have your antennae up just in case your mom calls out. After all, she’ll call out just once and you had better listen, drop all that you’re doing and run to her. Growing up under the influence of an Indian mother will teach you, among other things, very good eye-hand coordination. You need to understand what her eyes tell you, or face her wrath when she slaps your cheek. It’s that basic.
Be part of all cultural and religious activities:It’s not enough to be obedient and run to her bidding. Cultural and religious functions and activities that form the backbone of society are also important enough for children to participate in. So, an Indian mother encourages her children to join in religious activities, fairs and poojas.
By being at the receiving end of an Indian mother’s life lessons, children learn to face life easily and in a more solid manner.
