The internet has brought the world to the tip of our fingers. There is helpful information available on every topic! But of course, there is a flip side to it as well. It can be overwhelming for a new mother when you see conflicting information over the internet and do not know what to believe. Add to it the advice given by your near and dear ones and it is enough to make anyone feel inadequate as a mother.
“Behind every child who believes in herself, is a parent who believed first”
One thing that I have learned over the years as a mother is that one has to ignore the cacophony and trust their instincts, only then we can enjoy this incredible journey of motherhood. It started right after I had my baby. I wanted to quit my job to stay home with my child, but there were a million doubts in my mind plus other pressures. I was told I will regret it within a few months and will want to go back, but I trusted my instinct decision and took the plunge. Ten years since I have not regretted that decision even for a second.
“A mother’s instinct tells you, what to do long before your head can figure it out”
I firmly believe in this and my maternal instinct has served me well over the years. A few days ago, one of my friend was told me that her 3 years old was unwell due to changing weather. She has recently shifted to India and was finding it difficult to adjust to the new surroundings, especially the plentiful unsolicited advice that she had been getting. She said, her son was feeling worse, and she felt like a bad mother as she was not able to give him the ginger juice which the child refuses to have. Of course, she consulted the doctor and her child got better in a few days. And that got me thinking about similar incidents in my life when I doubted my abilities as a mother. I told her that she knows best when it comes to her child and that a mother’s #SahiWaliFeeling rarely betrays us.
“Behind every achievement of a kid, is a mother who thinks she is doing it all wrong”
How true is this saying! I remember the time when my daughter was a baby.. I used to second guess every action of mine, whether it was the food or clothing or diapers. I remember I chose a school for my daughter after a lot of research and my daughter who loved her playschool started hating the place and would cry every day. It was a horrible time and only I know how much I blamed myself for that choice. We did a lot of research before choosing the next school for her and we chose one school, which was relatively new unlike the previous famous school, but somewhere in my heart, I knew it was right. We switched her to the other school and for the first few weeks, I remember holding my breath. Thankfully, it was a perfect fit for her.
I recently saw a commercial by Huggies India – #SahiWaliFeeling and it struck a chord in me. It took me back to when my daughter was a baby and I chose Huggies over other diapers because it just felt right! I loved that this film reaffirms the connection between a mother and her child through the ties of trust and encourages mothers to trust their instincts over the outside noise and celebrate every little success that comes with it.
I think it is wonderful that a trusted brand like Huggies has taken it upon itself to encourage women to believe in themselves and know that this journey of motherhood is also one of self-discovery. We all try our best and learn on the job and more often than not, it is our babies who teach us.