The Modest Housewife

Margaret Thatcher; I have a soft corner for this icon of a woman. She came to power as UK's first woman PM on the day I was born. My father has kept a clipping of the newspaper from when this over-empowering personality had hit the headlines. Margaret then went on to hold the post of PM for the longest term in record for the 20th century. Apart from her powerful political career, Margaret is also a wife and mother. In her own words, she says "Any woman who understands the problems of running a home will be nearer to understanding the problems of running a country." I think this quote is a motivation for us all, especially women.

 

My own mother has been a housewife for most of her married life. She has raised me and my two younger siblings, still keeps a scrupulously clean and orderly household, can cook up a feast for a massive crowd in very short notice, and yet she fails to see how valuable she really is. At a social gathering many years ago, someone asked her what she does. Her modest reply was "I am just a housewife". She forgot to add the other titles she holds; mother, wife, home decorator, culinary chef, tailor, event manager, gardener, and the list goes on.

What my mother, and so many other women like her, fails to see is the entrepreneurial skills she has developed by juggling all the various roles she plays on a daily basis. Her managerial skills in managing an entire household would put a CEO of a major enterprise to shame; she is apt at time management, cost cutting, recycling, training, and also has great social skills. Moreover, she works 24/7!         

                                                                    

 I watched a touching movie recently entitled “English Vinglish” which follows the story of a modest Indian housewife played by the ever-beautiful Sridevi. She is the perfect wife and mother, yet she finds herself to be inadequate as she cannot speak English. So she signs up for English classes, and in her first class, her teacher recognizes her worth and teaches her a new word to describe herself, “entrepreneur”. She says the word, relishes it in her mouth, rolls it around on her tongue like the laddoos (Indian desert) she makes. It gives her a newfound pride and self-respect.

I believe all the ladies of the house, even the ones who work full-time, need to take a second to sit back and take account of their worth. They used to say men are the “bread winners”. Today women win their bread and bake it too!

 

x Big Sis.