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Motherhood brings changes in life. It changes you as a person. You know it pretty well. But guess what, we all have different experiences (barring a few common ones) given that our personalities are all different. In retrospect – I very well know how I changed after becoming a mother. Looking back, I do wish I could go back to the days when there were no cares on earth. But it’s only motherhood that gives a much larger meaning to your life. A few changes have been for the good, a few I wish I can still change. They are there for a reason, some for none at all. But sure I stopped doing a lot of things after I had my first child. Here are the top regrets…errr…the changes:
1. I stopped being the rockstar people once knew
There was a time when my house would reverberate like a dance floor. From classics to contemporary music, every bit of the music would be booming from the stereo as I hoovered the house or would cook. Music was (and inherently still is) my oxygen. That’s how charged up I would be.
Come the postpartum period. The typical outrageous decibels would go down to as much as mellow whispers fearing that we would wake the baby up. It’s not just the music, the pin-ups of my favorite musicians and rock stars were replaced by baby posters. And guess what happened to the mommy. She soon had to shun her Madonna-like disposition and all the preening to that of a plain brazen mommy all in love with her newborn.
2. I stopped daydreaming
I was a dreamer. Quite much. But the birth of my child taught me to be more grounded and practical. Of course, marriage makes a person somewhat responsible. But motherhood makes a woman perfectly sane (barring the constant running around which you come to accept as a part of your life now). The fleeting thoughts are taken over by worries and practical solutions. Every day presents you with a new challenge giving you key takeaways that you would pass on to your child as he or she grows up. I would, however, not stop recommending to day-dream. Sometimes it’s good to be your own little Alice in Wonderland.
3. I stopped eating for one
Yes, you heard it right. Following pregnancy, I wasn’t able to eat my whole course meal. I got so stuck to the habit of interrupted meal times, let alone timely meals, that it began to play with my routine. My appetite was in a slump. While I needed more nourishment to replenish the lost nutrients, I was eating less than I would normally do. Thanks to the supplements that might have helped me (which were also pretty sparsely used, though).
4. I stopped going to movies
Every Friday used to be a movie day out, predictably. Nope, nobody stops you from watching a movie when your baby is so tiny because it keeps sleeping most of the times in there. But I detested the idea of taking this tiny being into an enclosure of hundreds of people breathing stale air. As I waited for a few more months, my baby turned a toddler who would never sit steadily for a moment, always pestering to go down the aisle or exploring something more interesting while I would keep imploring with him.
I thought the 3D Jungle Book was going to capture some attention, but it was the same with Kung Fu Panda as well – the magic worked only momentarily on my child who wanted to see stuff that was more real.
5. I stopped looking after myself
I will be surprised if a mother of a toddler and a primary school goer can come up flawlessly to you in her beautifully draped saree and stilettos, her hair French-braided neatly. How on earth did she have the time to wear those matching accessories and that lipstick! I would rather stick to a universal color and hairdo that would go with just about anything because I know I will have to slip out at any given time, no matter how I look.
Despite facing many challenging, motherhood can still be fun. Beneath what sounds like shards of broken pleasures is the complete picture of womanhood.
