The Joy of Motherhood

When I found out I was pregnant, I thought my life had ended. I saw women lose themselves to motherhood and forget who they were before they became mothers. So I made a promise to myself never to have kids. So I was utterly sad when the test result came in.

I remember the day of the delivery, when the doctor gave me my child to hold. I felt a sense of connection towards her, so I made a new promise to myself and to her, to be a wonderful mother and friend to her. We've always been close, so it comes as no surprise to me that we call every night just to talk about our day. She is 30 years old now and the perfect daughter a mother could ask for.

We took lots of road trips when she was younger, and every night, we would lie on the bed and just talk. Being a mother taught me to be more accepting of people's flaws. I won't say our relationship has been perfect; that would be a lie if I did. We've hurt each other, but whenever we realize it, we always make amends. Our mistakes made our relationship stronger, because we knew more than anything else that our happiness was our utmost priority.

Now, I always look forward to spending the holidays with my baby girl and her family. I'm always at my happiest whenever I'm with them. And my fear of losing myself to motherhood never came to pass. I ran one of the best bakeries in the city while still being an awesome mother. You can always do both. Have a wonderful career and be a great mother. You just have to find the balance.

Trisha Singh

Mumbai, India