As a working mother, with a six-year-old son, my comprehension of work-life balance is grounded in reality. My son after school which closes by 1pm would go to daycare and by 5 pm, I would take him home. Thereafter he would play with friends for two hours and return home. That was the mom-son timetable.<\/p>\n
Suddenly, one fine day bosses at the office decided to make the staff work an additional hour daily. The next day before he left for school as usual, I told my accommodative son, \u2018beta, I will be late.\u2019 He calmly replied, \u2018fine, mom\u2019\u2026 and I was relieved at his response.<\/p>\n
Instead of 5 pm, I now returned home only around 6.30- 7 pm. One day his friends came home, but I told them that he could not come and he was asleep. Surprised, they remarked \u2018so early?\u2019 I said, \u2018Shush\u2026he is a good boy.\u2019 My timetable suited me but not my son. But it happened repeatedly. And then slowly it dawned on me, that he is a good boy \u2014 but am I a good mother? Finally I told myself about the need to balance my life and these thoughts were pointless issues.<\/p>\n
Then monsoon set in and I started coming home late\u2026 and began to make excuses to my son, but he always said, \u2018That\u2019s ok momma.\u2019 Then I started showering unnecessary attention on him \u2014 just to remind him about his mother\u2019s love. But I did not realize that this was not to help him \u2014 but to make me feel good. Gradually my guilt led to introspection.<\/p>\n
One day his friends came, he was asleep in his clothes with shoes still on his feet. At that moment, it made we wonder whether or not I had snatched away his childhood from him? The next day similar thoughts flooded my head. Again I told myself not to be emotional and that your son needs to understand that you required the job.<\/p>\n
Coincidentally, it rained heavily that day which led to a traffic jam and I reached his day care around 7.40 pm. I looked around, but he was not there. The staff said, \u2018He was here only madam\u2019 and all of us searched for him. It made me irritable and tense. When I saw him seated alone on a swing, I felt a sense of both relief and anger at the same time and I screamed at him, \u2018We were all searching for you?\u2019 He quietly asked me, \u2018Mom, did your bus break down today?\u2019 After he uttered those words, my knees buckled and I sat down and hugged him\u2026I had no answer to his question and I remained silent.<\/p>\n
Next day, I promptly resigned my job. Naturally my boss was curious and listened to my work-life struggle, which he as a father with a six-year-old was moved to tears. He gracefully accepted the letter and said, \u2018Your son certainly needs you more than us.\u2019 That evening, as I spent a lot of time playing and joking with my son, the meaning of work-life balance became crystal clear to me.<\/p>\n