Parenthood

I was watching this movie today "Marley and Me". Its about a couple who have a dog named Marley and how he keeps them together through years of marriage and 3 kids.
The female lead in the movie, Jennifer Aniston, after a tiring, gruelling and nerve wracking day says "Parenthood is the hardest job and no one ever prepares you for it." I found myself nodding in agreement.

It is the hardest job ever - you are responsible for an individual or 2 or more. Responsible to bring them up the "right" way. To make sure they are well-mannered, decent and well-educated.

There are no training sessions, no live samples to practice real-life situations with. Of course we do have parenting classes and support groups. But theory is very different from practical in this subject. Nothing can train you to manage the rush of anger when your little one does quite the opposite of what you say or the feeling of frustration when he pees in his pants for the nth time just before you are all ready to leave for school. It is an emotionally demanding job.

You have to keep up with the enthusiasm of the clients aka your kids. Constant activities to keep them busy, nursery rhymes over and over again, play ball and catch need a lot of stamina.

There is physical strain involved too! Running behind a 2 year old to finish his meal, carrying him godi (in the lap) along with his school bag, bending down to change diapers zillion times a day (when they are babies) - all this along with keeping the house spic and span, getting hot food on the table does take a toll physically, especially if you don't have any help.  

Moreover you don't get any monetary benefits. The rewards in this case are all intangible.

But when your li'l one smiles that toothy smile and runs up to you and hugs you saying "Mama" in that cute voice everything seems worth it! Its hard work but worth it!!