Thursday, May 28, 2009

Men are from Mars

It is written in to our genes, I am sure of it. Worrying from dawn to dusk about our children must be an obsessive compulsive behavior that is pre-determined in mothers by genetic factors. How else can I explain biting my cuticles off when my child got on the bike without training wheels for the first time and wobbled her way around the cul-de-sac while my husband stood on the curb cheering for her?

I cannot speak for others but worrying is almost a hobby for me. Some folks knit, read, putter around the garden, write blogs or cook for fun. I worry. If the President ever gives me an executive order to stop worrying for one day, I would be completely lost. What, in all that is holy, am I supposed to do with myself if I can’t worry?

I worry if my kid will miss the school bus when she wakes up 5 minutes later than usual; I worry if she brushes her teeth for 2 minutes like the dentist says; I worry if she gets enough protein when she chooses to not have eggs for breakfast; I worry if she will lose weight when she refuses cookies and sits down with a glass of juice after school; I worry if she will gain weight when she indulges in a candy still left over from last year’s Halloween; I worry if she has trouble making friends when she opts to stay by my side at a party; I worry if she has studied enough for the test next day when she goes to bed at 9.00 pm; I worry if she will get dark circles under her eyes when she stays up to finish a project one night. It is simply exhausting to worry so much.

My husband, on the other hand, is a fatalist and believes that the French “Que sera sera” is the right motto for child rearing. “The child will do what she is supposed to do and what she does do will shape who she will become” and “Let the children make their own mistakes and learn from them” are his favorite responses to my heart-wrenching laments of worry. “Stop worrying” he says as if it is a valve I can shut off at any time. Have you ever heard of anything more illogical? No wonder they say “Men are from Mars.”

8 comments:

Srilatha said...

Well said. We mothers worry now so that we don't have to worry in the future. An optimal measure of anxiety is essential to achieve performance excellence. We are therefore worrying our way to excellence :-)

Jeyashris Kitchen said...

meena do u know a person who gets hyper tension during her daughter's (who is 8 years)unit test. Its of course me. i always worry for everything.That too morning when i make both kids ready for school, my husband will burst out into laughter on my actions.enna partha comedya pochhu.

Thatisthetruth said...

Hey Chithi

I get lots of this "I am worried about your next movement" thing from amma all the time. Its more of a paranoia than a matter of concern actually.

Sometimes I am tempted to say I can take care of myself, but then again I know I will be doing the same thing when I am in her shoes so I just smile it off.

Nice Read by the way

Bhargavi

Meena Sankaran said...

Your logic is faultless, Srilatha. I like it.

Meena Sankaran said...

Jeyamma,

Pull up a chair and sit next to me. We are in the same team. :-)

Meena Sankaran said...

Bhagu,

Welcome to 'A Penny for my thoughts".

"Sometimes I am tempted to say I can take care of myself"

I have been there, done that. When I was your age, many a times I had felt outrage and annoyance at the very many concerned looks and lectures from thatha and paatti but now I know exactly what they were feeling at that time.

Thanks for stopping by Bhagu. :)

Kavinaya said...

u r right :) it is a mom thing. well written post, once again meena.

Meena Sankaran said...

Welcome and thank you Meena. :-)