Maa… Mummaa… Mommy… Aaai… Amma… So many names for a Mother!! For a woman, becoming a mother is the biggest challenge in life. A Task which even the most gruesome taskmaster might fail when endowed. Being a Mother is much more difficult than passing some top grade intellect exam. And trust me when I say it. It is as good as a new beginning to one’s life. There have been hundreds of instances when I would simply be awestruck by my mom’s abilities to manage different issues together, single handedly. And when asked how she managed, there would always be the same answer – You will learn when you become a Mother! And rightly said, I did learn multi-tasking only when I became a mother to my daughter, my love!

But, is Motherhood the same story for every one? When I look around me, I see different stories of Motherhood! Some simple, some complex, some sad and some happy! And that’s when I realized, Motherhood for every woman is a different story, a different journey as their life. So, on this Mother’s Day, here are stories of Different Mothers and Their Different Motherhood stories! Salute to each of them!

The single Mother – Story of Ashmita Bannerjee

A proud mother of 3, Ashmita now shuttles from India to USA, every year to meet her kids and her grand kids. An experience she loves and looks forward to each time. But for her, life was not easy, not happy, not simple in the least.

Widowed at a young age of 27, Ashmita was challenged by life to raise her kids and give them education, all aged between 3 and 10. Her in-laws, stayed with her for a short time, and asked her to remarry. But no, she had already taken up the challenge infront of her. She took up the government job, provided to her by her late husband’s office and started each day as it came. She asked her mother to stay at home with her to look after her kids while she managed office and then came home to help her kids with their education and home works.

One of her daughters became an architect, another a CA and her son did his MBA from USA. All with her great support. Today, one of her daughters stays with her husband in Baroda, next to her mom’s house. They enjoy life each day together, happily!

The Multi-Tasking Housewife – Story of Gunjan Patel

A fairy tale story… with a prince charming, a love marriage, happy and loving in-laws and two kids. The story of Gunjan is as interesting as her smile. She married the guy she loved and took up every task with a smile on her face. But motherhood was not easy for her.

Diagnosed with PCOS, Gunjan had problems conceiving her babies. She had to run to her gynecologist for treatments and also take care of her family in every situation while her husband was a dedicated businessman. After several years of treatment she finally conceived, and was gifted two beautiful kids, 1 Girl and 1 boy (twins). For her, now the struggle had just become.

Her mother-in-law who helped her care the premature babies, now had to return back to her home, leaving behind Gunjan with her 6 months old premature babies, and her great grandmother aged 90 and a home to run. She managed everything, from cooking, taking care of the babies and looking after her grandmother with a smile. Today, her children are 3 years old and now entering school, making Gunjan feel the pride she is worth.

Busy Bee – The Working Mother – Story Of Deep Shah

Hostel was over, PhD now the prime target! The motherhood story of Deep brings us to think about how all working mothers manage their kids and office, together. Is it really this complex??

With PhD now over, and a respectable job at hand, Deep could breathe a little fresh air into her lungs after  years of studying. With her 3 year marriage sailing smoothly, she now conceived and gave birth to a little baby boy! But, life is not so easy afterall.

Deep had just 2 months of maternity leave and had to join her work soon. Her son was just 1 1/2 months old when she started going back to work. She would feed him before she went and would come back in every 2.5 hours to feed her little one. Her mother, became her support system by looking after her son while Deep went to work. Slowly, as her son grew upto 9 months, Deep’s mother decided to take the kid with her to Baroda, where Deep’s father and sister were busy in their own life. Deep stayed back in Anand and led her regular working woman lifestyle with her husband. Ever since then, Deep only visits her son every weekend or on holidays. Now that her son is 2.5 years old and understands more, she feels the urge to bring back her son and keep him with her. The only thing she says, “I have lost almost 2 years of my son’s growing years.”

Image Source: discoveringmeandlife.wordpress.com

Learning about Life and Babies – Story of New Mother Neelam Mehrotri

Leading a happily married life and pursuing her dreams in the corporate world, Neelam Mehrotri’s life was about to change with her soon arriving baby! Right from the time she was expecting Shona (her baby), it had been an amazing journey for Neelam. Her pregnancy only made her appreciate and respect the beauty and strength of a woman’s body and experience the true magic of life – in its very creation.

As a new mother, initially Neelam was quite overwhelmed with all the changes taking place in her life, that being a mother entailed. She had no clue on how to care for a newborn – from feeding, to bathing, to putting baby to sleep; everything seemed very daunting. With the help and support of family and friends, she slowly learnt how to care her newborn by herself and it made her feel good as a mother; over time she has emerged stronger from the experience and discovered new facets about herself too. In a way, only after Shona was born did Neelam truly appreciate what a mother – child bond really is. Watching Shona grow and explore the world, is a privilege and has taught her so much.

On this Mother’s Day, when children thank their moms’ all across the world, Neelam thanks her daughter saying, “Thanks dear Shona for helping me want to be my best, for showing me the wonders of everyday life and most of all for connecting me with the child within. You make my world more beautiful and wonderful just by being in it. Thank you for turning my life upside down, you have made it better in more ways than I can count.”