Surah Muhammad ayat 7 :
"Wahai orang- orang yg beriman,
jika kamu menolong Allah, nescaya Dia akan
menolong kamu dan meneguhkan kedudukanmu."

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

I AM ONLY A MOTHER

The officer at the Driving License counter asked
the lady "What is your occupation?"

The woman seeking renewal of her license seemed
to be puzzled. So the officer said "Ma'am, are you
employed, have your own business
or........

The woman replied "Oh, yes!! I have a full time
occupation. I am a mother"

Officer: "We don't have 'mother' as an option for
occupation. I will write it down as 'Housewife'.
That takes care of all questions."

This had happened long ago, and was forgotten.
Years later when I went to get my license, the
Public Relations Officer was a somewhat pompous
woman.

"Your occupation?" she asked in a rather
authoritative tone.

I just had an inspiration and replied "I am a
researcher in the field of Child Development,
Nutrition and Inter-personal Relationships"

The lady officer stared at me in amazement. I
calmly repeated my statement and she wrote it
down verbatim. Then, unable to conceal her
curiosity, she politely asked "What exactly do you
do in your profession, Ma'am?"

I was feeling good about having described my
occupation so calmly and confidently. So I replied
"My research projects have been going on for
a number of years (Mothers never retire!!). My
research is conducted in the laboratory as well as
in the field. I have two bosses. (One is God and the
other is my entire family). I have received two
honours in this field. (A son and a daughter) My
topic is considered to be the most difficult part of
sociology.(All moms will agree!!). I have to
work more than 14 hours every day. Sometimes
even 24 hours are not enough and the challenges
are tougher than many other professions. My
compensation is in terms of mental satisfaction
rather than money"

I could see that the officer was thoroughly
impressed. After completing the licensing
formalities, she came to the door to see me
off.

This new viewpoint about my occupation made
me feel much better on my way back home. I was
welcomed by my 5 year old research assistant at
the door. My new project (my 6 month old baby)
was energetically practicing her 'music'.

I had earned a small victory over the Governmental
red tape today. I was no longer 'merely a mother',
instead I was now a highly placed functionary in a
service vital for mankind -Motherhood!!

'Mother' - Isn't it a great title. Fit to be added to the
nameplate on the door!! By this standard, grandmothers
deserve to be called Senior Research Officers, and Great
Grandmothers qualify as 'Research Directors'. Aunts and
other ladies of that age group can be called
'Research Facilitators'

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