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You have taken a big step forward - you have got married, stepped out of your parental house, set up your own home and settled to married bliss. And to add to your cup of joy, you are now pregnant with your first baby! How does it feel? Are you aware of the responsibilities that lie ahead of you? You are going to be totally accountable for a new life whether you have planned it or not, and it is up to you to take stock of your life and make the necessary changes to welcome your baby. And what if it is a baby girl? How does that affect or change your life? We put this question to a few new moms of baby girls and here is the feedback we got.
"I know this sounds strange, but since my daughter was born, I have thought more about what kind of role model I am.. I am not a working woman and I have never thought seriously about having a career! But now I am worried about how my daughter Nethra will see me! What if she sees me as 'just a housewife'? Ok, ok, I know it is a fact that there is nothing derogatory in being a home maker and I know I work far harder than most of my working friends, but..what if she feels that it is ok for her not to take up a career because her mom did not? I am seriously considering taking up some vocational course when she is a little older, but am I doing things backward? Is this a common worry or am I getting paranoid?"
- Ruchi M.
"Ever since I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, I have been introspecting on my life and preparing myself to make all the necessary changes in my attitude towards many things. I find that it has become more and more important to me that I be the 'perfect' woman, a role model that my daughter can proudly follow. I now consciously tend to watch what I am saying or doing - am I being too traditional or too liberal? I want my daughter to be a good person and feel like she has to be a certain way if she is female."
- Shipra B.
"Even though my baby has just come into my life, I do feel this pressure to make myself into a better person. I know that I was a trouble maker when I was young, forever getting into impossible situations and giving my parents a real headache, always having wrong friends and getting into all sorts of scrapes. But suddenly now, I feel a need to become a better person so that my daughter does not become wayward and troublesome. Is it too late for me to reform myself? Are there others who are facing the same problem?"
- Rose V.
"I admire my mom a lot, and I want to be the kind of mom my daughter will look up to. My mom is a graduate and she saw to it that I understood the importance of education in one's life. Thanks to her, I am a graduate and in a good career from which I have taken a short sabbatical to have my baby. I certainly plan to bring up my daughter the way my mom brought me up - with strong values."
- Mala M.
Are you a recent mother and do you also have plans to become a role model your daughter can be proud of? If so, please share your thoughts with us. As you can see, you are not alone in your ideas!
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