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Maverick Mom
Tejaswinee Barua, Queensland, Australia
https://fictioninaflash1.com
I’m a mom of one daughter, 18 months, wife to Jnanjit Kakaty, who works as a Software Engineer. I am also a Software Engineer. Jnanjit and I have been married for eight years. I
was born and raised in the North East of India, in the lush state of Assam, famous for its tea and silk. I completed my Mechanical Engineering Degree in 2004. I have been working for the last ten years in different multi-national companies, with clients and business partners spread across the world.
Jnanjit and I moved to Australia in 2014 from India and my daughter was born here in 2015. I love to read books, with a particular interest in Historical Fiction and literary classics. My favorite book is How to Kill a Mockingbird. I also enjoy digital art and writing. I have a blog titled, Fiction in a Flash where I pen down short stories and poems.
Quote.
We are all broken, that’s how the light gets in
– Ernest Hemingway
What I do well as a mom.
I help my child feel valued as a person and teach her how to stand up for herself. I was raised in a patriarchal society where women are made to feel inferior to men. I was fortunate enough to be an exception, thanks to my parents. I would like my daughter to be an exception too and to experience a better life where men and women are treated as equals. I ask her opinion on even the smallest of subjects or issues to reinforce the fact that she and her opinion and view of the world matters.
What I learned from another mom.
My grandmother married at the age of fourteen and had four kids. She managed to finish her studies, started working as a teacher and was an active social worker. It was from her I learned how resilient we women are, and how, given any circumstance, if we stand up for ourselves and move forward, there is no height we cannot reach. It was from her that I learned that in life, the power is within you, always.
Lesson learned from my child.
My daughter once had a particularly bad bout of fever and was tired and lethargic. But her laughter never died and the spirit of unalloyed happiness in her remained even during that time. She taught me that I can be happy, no matter what.
Successful motherhood moment.
During my daughter’s naptime, I made some Origami butterflies and then placed them on her bedroom wall. After she woke up, I relished the joyful look on her face after she saw the butterflies I made for her.
Mom I admire.
My mom. She juggled work and home seamlessly and in an era where Indian women seldom worked after marriage. At the same time, I never felt that I had missed out on her love and affection. She inspired me by being a working mom, by being financially secure and by being the person who was always there when I needed her. I remember at nights when I would study for my exams, she would bring me coffee and sit beside me for hours, just to give me company.
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This post was previously published in Amazing Moms coffee table book and is reprinted with permission of the author.
Photo courtesy Pixabay.