Dear Mom, I Wish You Didn't Have To Give Up Your Job For Motherhood

Dear Mom,

I wish you did not have to let go of that job because of motherhood. I remember how while I was growing up you kept reiterating that I can do anything I want to once I get a job. Little did I know what financial independence for women meant at that time or how earning money can make you feel liberated. How when you are economically independent the world looks at you differently. How earning money gives you a say in things you do.

Little did I know what financial independence for women meant at that time or how earning money can make you feel liberated.

I remember how angry you got about some joke my friends made regarding me getting married. We were all teenagers then, and all my life I had never seen you overreacting like that. You shouted, "All of you should get a job first." Now, after becoming a mother myself and after having quit my job because of maternity I realize what you would have gone through that day when you had to return that appointment letter just because you were pregnant. Just because you were new to the city and commute would have been difficult, and what if something happens to the baby. You could have gone to places is what I can think.

Now, after becoming a mother myself and after having quit my job because of maternity I realize what you would have gone through that day when you had to return that appointment letter just because you were pregnant.

I know you have brooded over that decision. I know how cherished that job offer was for you. It wouldn't have been easy for you to crack that job either. You didn't just move cities but moved cultures when you got married. I know how much you struggled with speaking Hindi, still do. I know you still have a copy of that letter saved. To carry the weight of unfulfilled dreams on your shoulder without being bitter is not easy.

Also Read: Dear Mom: Thank You For Not Leaving Your Job Under Family Pressure

Thank you for not letting me lose focus when it would have been very easy to do so. In writing this, I redeem myself a bit, by acknowledging your tremendous sacrifice, in giving me life.

Photo by Praveesh Palakeel on Unsplash