Jyoti Shekar

We don’t like to be stereotyped,

Yet we cannot accept others who are not in their allocated boxes.

Why does a mother have to be nurturing?

Why does a father have to be the strong one?

I have parents who are as typical as they come,

A ‘housewife’ mother,

And a ‘career driven’ father,

Yet it was Mother who taught me to be fearless and to fight for my rights,

And it was Father who taught me to care and love unconditionally,

A father may not know the pain of childbirth,

But he can certainly know the pain of bringing up his children.

Father helped me through my period pains,

He taught me to dress for school,

He has always been there for any emotional traumas,

Because he loves Mother,

Because he loves us.

Mother, on the other hand, taught us to be independent,

She taught us to go after what we want,

To be brave and kind,

That fear is our worst enemy.

When I think of a nurturer, it is Father who comes to mind,

When I think of a fearless protector, it is Mother who comes to mind,

Yet Father is the ‘masculine’ one, and Mother is the ‘feminine’ one,

So why is it a woman’s job to be nurturing and the man’s job to protect?

Why is mother synonymous with nurturer/caregiver?

If mother is equal to nurturer, then I am proud to say I have two mothers.

And if father is equal to protector, then I am proud to say I have two fathers.

Whoever said that playing to the strengths is more a modern parenting trait?

*All images used in this article are either Eyra’s own design or widely and freely available on the internet.*