We often see the journey of mother has been romanticized by our society by taking the images of joy, fulfillment and love . However, due to this the reality behind these happy images is very little talked about in our society .
In Pakistani Society, which is deeply rooted in traditional expectations, women are taught that their sole purpose in life revolve around to have a happy family and nurturing their children. The weight of these societal norms has mostly become too burdensome for mothers which remained unnoticed by our society. It is mostly the story of all mothers in our county.
The personal journey of a mother reflects all these challenges. In the case of my mother, a bright, skilled active and enthusiastic girl in her twenties is wed to traditional and conservative family and is bound by having seven children. Sometimes I asked her’’ Ammo , why did you not go for a job , you are well educated? “.
She said “My children are my asset, I am proud that I gave society seven educated children.” But sometimes when she saw her first daughter to go to office, I saw her crying saying “If I didn’t get opportunity of job, but God made me see my daughter did.’’ Sometimes I think it is not easy for the girls to let go of their dreams and aspirations to become a fully expected perfect “Bahu and Mother’ ’requires by our society.
My point is that the idealized image of motherhood in society is unable to grasp the true hardships and suffering of a woman. When woman become mother in our society, she is forced to completely neglect her own self ambitions and dreams and they unconsciously find themselves in nurturing of children and families.
There is a need in our society to break the silence and stigmatize and help seek mental health challenges. There is a need to highlight the importance of supporting new mothers ,providing them with love, care and understanding. There is a need to address these unspoken battles prevailing in our society everywhere.