92: Make the most of it.

I’m a mum to two boys (8 and 15). Being a mother is tough but fun. Trying to give your children everything they need, juggling between proper nutrition, school, and driving them around, has always been a challenge amongst many other things. However, I have always taken great pride and enjoyed doing these duties as a mother.

Initially, the pandemic came as a shock. I was disappointed when we had to cancel our travel plans and all other celebrations in the family as well. I thought this was temporary and would end in a month or so. However, I did not know what followed would impact how we view and live our lives.

We had to adapt in more ways than we imagined. Work from home, online school and no social interactions whatsoever. My older son, who is in the swim squad and passionate about swimming, learnt air swimming! Pre-pandemic, we had a cook come in every day, but that changed too. My parents were visiting us during that time, and I had to start cooking. I was not used to preparing three meals a day for seven people. Everyone has different tastes. Some don’t like eggs; others don’t like vegetables or pasta. My father doesn’t like noodles. My parents are not used to eating cereal, bread and butter, as we were from Northern India. The typical breakfast is a hot meal like vegetable parathas, pooris or even poha. Initially, it was overwhelming as I would try and accommodate each one’s taste, but I soon realized it was not practical. So I took the stress out of it and decided to make dishes in turns appealing to different members of the family And we would all share that meal. What began as a cumbersome chore turned out to be the best time. We ate all three meals together at the table, with everyone involved in laying the table and helping to clear it up. One of my favourite memories will be our meals together, the conversations, and how I felt during that time.

Another unexpected yet wonderful experience during the lockdown was discovering Yoga! My husband practised Yoga every day and encouraged us to try. We were all reluctant initially. Soon, however, it wasn’t just me, but the kids, our helper and my parents joined in too. We would lay down seven mats and practise Yoga together. Later, we added meditation and prayers to our Yoga to thank the universe for being there for us during these times. 

I love my role as a spouse and a mother, but I discovered I also love being a daughter. I was only 18 when I left home for my university, and since then, I have not spent much time with my parents. They visit me for a couple of months every year, but I hardly spend time with them. Because of the lockdown, my parents stayed with us for ten months, and during this time, I was reminded of how wonderful it is to be a daughter. Usually, I’m the one asking everyone around if they’re okay, how they’re feeling, what they need. But my parents did this for me, and I felt so loved and grateful to have them with me. 

Life is hectic again, but my heart is full of love, and my mind stocked up with beautiful memories. We made the most of the lockdown, from initially being shocked and resenting it to adapting, learning new things, spending time with my parents and feeling loved. I am eternally thankful for these experiences.- Swati Rajamani

Co-written with Rehan and Aalya Sengupta, 14, Dubai, UAE under the StoryBuddy program