1. We know it takes a lot to be a working mom, especially now with the juggle between work from home and work for home. Tell us how you are balancing both?
I would say it is more about prioritizing things and managing the time at hand judiciously. Goes without saying that the understanding and support from the family members is critical to strike balance. I am blessed with a family which appreciates and understands my commitment towards my work and reciprocates my unconditional care and attention towards them. The balancing is always a two way traffic and I am glad to achieve it so far.
2. What has quarantine changed for you as a working mom? Have kids and family contributed to the household chores, taking some burden off you?
These are by far the most testing times for all as the whole world has been shaken in battling with an unseen and unknown enemy, which requires an unprecedented combat measure and everyone is thriving to contribute their share of resilience and grit to take it head-on. Our industry/organisation is no different and have been going through challenging times. It’s time to show more of commitment and sincerity towards work right now than ever before and like mentioned earlier I feel fortunate to have been blessed with a real understanding and loving bunch of people in my family, my daughter and husband and entire family take special care so that I can devote unwavering attention to my work and at the same time acts as an alarm to ensure I do take those required breaks and don’t burn up more than necessary. Their contribution to lessen my burden and help me strike the critical balance between my work and family life is immense.
3. This Mother's Day, tell us what you'd like to thank your mom’s for, as a mother yourself.
There are many things which makes her unique and makes me want to respect and love her a lot but above all her selflessness stands out the most for me. I haven’t seen a human being who could be so committed and selfless for their kids and family but mothers. I cannot thank Moms much as there are no words to express that gratitude but would want to love them as much so that I could account for a fraction at least of her love as my acknowledgement for all the love and care she has been showering relentlessly.
1. We know it takes a lot to be a working mom, especially now with the juggle between work from home and work for home. Tell us how you are balancing both?
Work from home & work at home both are big responsibilities and commitments. While work at home can be managed with flexibilities & support from family, what remains a priority is being
extremely focussed and committed to working from home. In times like these, integrity plays an important role, as nobody is watching you. To start with being organized and well-planned is the key to manage work efficiently. My husband and kids understand my commitment to work and stand in support with me throughout. Being a mother of two sons with a generation gap, believe me, isn’t less than any adventure!! Vedant is 14 and Hridhaan is 4, both my boys are literally poles apart. One is calm and mature, the other one is a sweet little riot. One is a foodie and the other one is fussy. One is a desi, the other one is a firang. My life starts pretty early in the morning to ensure that I am all set with most of the household and cooking activities even before my children wake up.
From the time I login in the morning till evening around 7.15pm, my husband takes over the responsibility to manage the day with kids. By now everyone is set with my work schedule, calls, interviews etc. and no one bothers to disturb me. While Vedant shares his love & care by making a 4pm Coffee every day without fail, Hridhaan peeps in between work and in sign language ask if I am on a call. If I am not on a call, he will update me on some random thing and disappear in seconds.
Every evening Hridhaan points out and says, “Mom, look thesun is behind the mountains, it is getting dark, no work from home now ”. This is a routine that he follows without fail, he still doesn’t figure out the time in a watch, but I feel amazed how he understands the sequence every day at the same time. Honestly, I too wait for him to come and with the same enthusiasm, I officially declare the end of the workday.
Post work from home is our time for exercise, food and music. We all are party to it. That’s how the day, work-life balance looks like.
2. What has quarantine changed for you as a working mom? Have kids and family contributed to the household chores, taking some burden off you?
This definitely isn’t a relaxing time for anyone of us. Work and responsibilities have become larger. But all said and done, it is also the time where one must feel grateful that we have secured jobs and respect the fact that we are being trusted when we operate from our homes. This is one of the most crucial and demanding times of our commitment to work and the organization. Having said that, for every working mom, things may look different. For some it may be easy, some may be challenging, and for many, it would be overwhelming as well. Again, as mentioned earlier, being organized is the key to both.
Initially, it wasn’t that simple to manage everything at one go. Work from Home and Work at Home can be taxing. My son Hridhaan is just 4 and seeks my attention all the time. I have resumed work since he was 90 days old and started travelling when he completed a year. So he hasn’t seen me home as much and now the scenario has changed. He certainly wants to make most out of my availability at home.
I have been showered with attention throughout the day, with numerous hugs and kisses. He sometimes hands me flowers, make a DIY necklace out of an eye mask or with cloth hanging clips and sometimes lovingly calls me a crazy grumpy mom. All of it just melts my heart and makes me feel like going back in time. This is what quarantine has done to me, making me want to have a “Time Machine”!!
Vedant, on the other hand, has grown up to be a mature teenager. He is a great help and my biggest support system. I have been travelling across many countries when he was even smaller than my younger one. I still remember the first time I took Vedant with me on a tour to the US (he was exactly 4.5yrs). That was the first time I spent 42 days 24*7 with him and exactly after 10 years we are together 24*7. However, the scenarios are a total contrast. These quarantine days have allowed me to learn and understand many things of my teenage son Vedant.
The working mother guilt is a killer at times, but all you can do is look ahead and count our blessings that we are all together and safe. My husband Pravin, is the biggest pillar of support at home. We both keep competing with household activities to shoulder more, only to ensure the other one is at ease. Vedant like a daunting elder brother clear up the clutter left behind by the younger one. Four of us make a great team!!
3. This Mother's Day, tell us what you'd like to thank your mom’s for, as a mother yourself.
Something that is said by every Indian mom to their daughters, at least once in their growing up time “Tu Maa Banegi na, Tabh pata chalega”. I do believe it cannot be better said than this! Moms are special, every mother is an epitome of love, strength, courage, selflessness, and the list of adjectives are endless. My mother, Shaila Khanolkar has always been a working mom in government services, retiring at the age of 58 in the year 2011. My siblings and I have grown up watching our strong, multitasking mother which has been deeply engraved in our value system. We lost our father when we were quite young (My elder sister was 13, I was 11 and my brother was 4). Life for us took a 360-degree turn especially for our mother, who had to now shoulder us also as a father. She ensured our upbringing with strength and grace. My siblings and I will forever be grateful to her for building us strong and confident, and imbibing values in us. Even today, she ensures we are grounded and respect the tough journey we sailed to reach wherever we are today, never taking things for granted. I owe my life to my mom completely for she is the reason for my existence!!
1. We know it takes a lot to be a working mom, especially now with the juggle between work from home. Tell us how you are balancing both?
Scenarios are different now, unlike before women’s position in the society is changing with time. I am glad that I can financially support my family and contribute equally. And as a women multi-tasking is an innate quality and honestly enjoy my multi-faceted role of balancing a job and household responsibilities. I enjoy my job and take my role as a mother extremely seriously.
2. What has quarantine changed for you as a working mom? Have kids and family contributed to the household chores, taking some burden off you?
Following the lockdown guidelines is the need of the hour and also a lovely opportunity to spend more time with my daughter and other family members. Nonetheless, we all shared the workload and it never hindered my office work.
3. This Mother's Day, tell us what you'd like to thank your mom’s for, as a mother yourself.
Firstly, I want to thank my Mother for giving us such a beautiful life. She ensured I take my studies seriously and walk-in tandem with the present-day world. She is the reason that I am leading a blissful married life. Her values show me the path of leading a balanced life and will always be grateful to her for giving me such a wonderful life.
1. We know it takes a lot to be a working mom, especially now with the juggle between work from home. Tell us how you are balancing both?
As per the current situation, managing work from home is becoming a difficult task. I have a pre-schooler so I manage and plan my day accordingly. I have set a timetable and try to finish my household chores by 9 in the morning so that I can start my office work. I try and engage my kid with toys, crayons, painting books, indoor games so then I can focus on work.
2. What has quarantine changed for you as a working mom? Have kids and family contributed to the household chores, taking some burden off you?
On a lighter note - quarantine has taught many of us that we do household work more efficiently than housemaids. I love cooking and in normal working life, I could test my cooking skills only during the weekend. But now, I get some time in hand and have never failed to make evening snacks from the time we have been locked down. Another bright side of the situation is the time spent with family and it really feels greats to have a supportive family, thankfully there has been never a day that family members have not helped me in household work so that I can focus on my office work efficiently.
3. This Mother's Day, tell us what you'd like to thank your mom’s for, as a mother yourself.
On this Mother’s day, I want to thank you, mom, for such a wonderful upbringing. Because of her, I can adjust to any situation and values the gift of life. I want to thank her for supporting me and my dreams. Mothers undoubtedly shape their children’s lives and I am thankful for everything.
1. We know it takes a lot to be a working mom, especially now with the juggle between work from home. Tell us how you are balancing both?
The unfortunate situation came without any warning, initially, it was a little challenging but husband and I have divided the household work. Being a working mom becomes tiresome but with husband’s equal contribution it has eased to a great extent. I begin my day with a task-list and priorities work accordingly since we have a toddler to look after, we divide our parental duties so that our working hours don't get disrupted.
2. What has quarantine changed for you as a working mom? Have kids and family contributed to the household chores, taking some burden off you?
Every coin has two sides, COVID-19 too. As a mother today I can spend a great deal of time with my son which I craved for during the normal working life. As a working mom – spending time with family is slightly compromised. Aside, once the work is completed I look forward to trying out different recipes as cooking has been my favourite pastime. Most certainly my family has been a great contributing factor in taking the burden off my shoulder.
3. This Mother's Day, tell us what you'd like to thank your mom’s for, as a mother yourself.
Happy Mother's Day to the most amazing mom in the world. Thank you for teaching me to be an independent and successful woman. Thank you for imparting me with good manners and raising me to be the kind person as I am today. You have no idea how much u mean to me thanks for your patience and hard work. I will never forget the sacrifices you made for me. If I am a good mother, because of you. You will always be an inspiration to me.
1. We know it takes a lot to be a working mom, especially now with the juggle between work from home and work for home. Tell us how you are balancing both?
I am personally not quite fond of the term work-life balance, everything is a part of life. The balance has to be within you. So during quarantine, I am trying to enhance the concept of balance within myself. Every day in the lockdown I have learnt something new. Being a mother has polished my skills to handle my work and managing house more efficiently. I simply enjoy this golden moment to be my baby 24*7. She is learning new activities, new words every day and I am glad that I am part of this journey. Her smile is so magical that there is no stress at all even after a long working day. It’s tough, it’s stressful, it’s exhausting but at the same time, I am content.
2. What has quarantine changed for you as a working mom? Have kids and family contributed to the household chores, taking some burden off you?
Quarantine has thought me to be disciplined. I need to accommodate a huge list of activities in lesser time and one cannot do it without being disciplined. I need to manage job, house, child and also my personal time, to keep me motivated, I try my best to do the maximum from a 24hr a day. The world is going through a pandemic and we could hear a lot about it in media, I have decided I will think only and only positive things about this lockdown. As a mother I could have never think of spending such a long time with my child at a stretch, so I really thank God for this. Also without the support of family members, all this have been not possible.
3. This Mother's Day, tell us what you'd like to thank your moms for, as a mother yourself.
They say you understand your mother’s when you become a mother yourself, so very true that. Now, I understand and respect my mother much more since my daughter is born. I am raising my child exactly the way my mom raised me. I think mothers know their child best and I too want to follow her footsteps. I was raised by a strong woman and I am sure I will raise a stronger woman.
1. We know it takes a lot to be a working mom, especially now with the juggle between work from home and work for home. Tell us how you are balancing both?
Work from home is a challenge especially with 2 hyperactive teenagers (14 & 12 going 13 actually). Prioritising one’s tasks and meticulous time management is the key. Reminding myself that Kids need a calm mother helps. I prefer to complete the majority of my tasks that needs focus, either early morning or late night when the kids are asleep. It’s a blessing that my husband is an excellent father. Takes the burden off my shoulders, so I don’t feel like I am struggling all alone. My children are an extra bundle of energy, on the work front too they give me many suggestions. Of course, it becomes a little overwhelming but a little help doesn’t harm anyone. Overall it’s fun too, I am getting to spend time with my children, especially takes off the worry to make-up with that “quality time”.
2. What has quarantine changed for you as a working mom? Have kids and family contributed to the household chores, taking some burden off you?
In this strange scenario, I’ve become a better cook and improved at household management. I’m more involved with my kids in almost all their day-to-day activities as the quarantine have made their interaction with friends impossible, except for occasional calls on mobile. I’ve learnt to be a patient mother and try to be more like a friend than a parent. Both the kids help us with our domestic chores. If the younger son ( Shreshth ) takes up sweeping and moping, then the elder one ( Shubh ) helps with utensils. Shreshth kneads the flour for Rotis and Shubh will make tea, etc. And of course, their father helps too. I’m blessed to have them as my family. I’d like to thank my sons for being such awesome sons.
3. This Mother's Day, tell us what you'd like to thank your moms for, as a mother yourself.
Not only my mother, I would also like to mention my mother-in-law, both have an important place in my life. All that I today, is their blessings and upbringing. I’d like to thank mom for giving birth to me, for bringing me up in a way that has made me a human of strong character and inculcated integrity in the core of me. I’d like to thank her for invoking in me the faith in almighty. I’d like to thank my mother-in-law for the wisdom with which she nurtured me to become a capable mother and a better human, for making me a woman of strong mental strength, and for raising her son in the best possible way so that he could become the fantastic husband that I have. I’d like to thank both of them for believing in me and support me in all my choices and decisions, unwaveringly. Their love and blessings make life so much more beautiful. (The list of my gratitude towards them is never-ending and beyond the scope of my expressions) Thank you Moms, you are the best!!!!
