But I also have my meltdowns and my lowest moments. I often do cry for hours, just wondering what will happen to him. This happens mostly after situations when I feel guilty and I feel I failed as a mother when all my efforts to teach him something end in vain. I have heard my relatives discussing my son’s “sickness”. I have heard my mother-in-law blaming my genes. I saw people looking at my kid and being judgemental.
Ma: Fine, it may have happened a couple of times, but this time it’s for real. I’m telling you, I might shit my pants on the flight. You just cancel the ticket, there’s no other way.
Meg’s words had a certain conviction in them. They were so simple and true! What was stopping Neha? Nothing, at least nothing unmanageable. Just one meeting with Meg and Neha felt reassured and empowered.
It’s only recently that I came across the word ‘antifragile’ in one of the books I was reading. It is not the opposite of fragile. It refers to things that gain from disorder or get stronger when harmed. Now that to me felt like a journey worth exploring, from the vulnerability of the ‘Fragile’ to the more-than-resilient acceptance of the ‘Antifragile.’ In fact, I wanted to use my little learning to address one of my most pressing needs of the hour. Parenting.
Her embarrassed mother-in-law, who still had more black than grey hair, often tried to attribute her premature greying to hormonal imbalance caused by the pregnancy. But friends, neighbours, and even complete strangers were not so understanding.
Planning a baby and delivering can take a toll on your mental and physical well-
being. Every woman has to go through it which can’t be avoided but you can always
work towards getting better. Our mind and health are inter-connected and thus we
must strive towards maintaining a balance between the two.
