by As someone who has lived and played the role of a parent for few years and also someone who has written inspiring stories on parenthood, I must admit it is one of the most toughest and under valued tasks in the world.
New age world has seen fathers taking more active role and sometimes they have surpassed expectations.
Why do I say it is undervalued is because many don’t admit ‘I am a mother’. Perhaps the answer is not enough to the question ‘What are you doing?’ Many women mention working professionals, the industries they work for, stay-at-home with reluctance but never I am a mother. One would argue nobody mentions I am a wife or husband or brother etc. Yes, but all of these relations have the freedom of loosening up but in the case of motherhood or being an active parent (including fathers) is demanding, exhausting and overtly under-acknowledged by children, spouse, career world and society.
If marriage in modern day world has seen challenges, parenting overtakes its role in challenging moms and dads. Even now, largely this role of nurturer, teacher, care giver, falls on moms than dads in the world. Yet unless her family, friends, society does not give the validation that it is enough.
The amount of multi-tasking, planning and hoping a good happy individual is raised is a momentous task. In countries like India, parenting extends beyond the twenties until marriage or even thereafter .
Sometimes I have pondered if giving a salary to a parent will earn that respect but am not sure if that is the answer for many individuals to embrace it wholeheartedly without thinking of other roles that get more respect and income.
Many families have set tasks of parenting for both partners in the marriage and few willingly or unwillingly take up the task of taking care of kid or kids single-handedly. This might work or prove exhausting for the individual who is doing it all alone.
Four decades ago it was not surprising to see our parents have four to eight children. That number reduced to two during 70’s and 80’s. Ten to fifteen years ago this got further reduced to one child and I am not sure if in the next thirty years people want to become fathers or mothers at all. Will Robots replace parenting roles or will the Earth cease to exist?
One needs to study and ponder why are individuals and society choosing to be parent of one or two or none at all. Is it exhausting mentally, physically, financially or commitment to a relationship of being a parent that takes this burden?
Time will tell if parents will be much more respected and ease the burden somehow, but hopefully it will be better acknowledged that being a parent is not easy but unending hours of hard work.
If you have any thoughts to share, do comment
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