Why being housewife is a big deal

Actress Penelope Cruz recently said being a housewife is the “best thing in the world”. Cruz who is married to Javier Bardem, has been staying at home since giving birth to 17-month-old son Leonardo.

She said, “I’m a housewife and it’s beautiful, the best thing in the world. I know how to cook and it’s important to me to make fresh food every day,” contactmusic.com quoted Cruz as saying.

Sounds familiar? Yes, it does to every woman who has become a mother. They say Motherhood changes you, your priorities change and your one big goal in life is to give the best to the child and make your child the best gift to the world.

What is it about giving birth that changes highly careeristic woman to give up a fancy job and do the thankless job of a housewife? The role she plays here is real and unlike professional life, there are no appraisals every year or for that matter for life.

Says Pallavi Sri who bid adieu to her monthly income of Rs 45,000, “It’s sheer joy. You never know till you experience it. It cannot be explained. End of the day, you may not get an award for being the best employee. But when you see your child’s milestones, you can silently thank yourself to have brought him to that stage with your little effort and at the same time be proud of the achievement.”

There are many actresses who chose to stop acting when they were at the peak of their careers. Says Anjana Jaiswal, a homemaker who gave up her managerial job when promotion was due, “It’s not easy to throw away your job that’s given you an identity, financial independence and respect in the society. However, you have to learn to accept changes and be willing to take the risk. And if it works, nothing like it. It’s so tempting to stick on to a high-paying job. But the joy of watching your kid grow and being there by his side, motivate him and push him to achieve more milestones is priceless!”

It’s easy for the outside world to write off a woman (especially a star) as ‘not bankable/no market woman’ once she’s married or has a child. The recent example being the beauty queen and reigning Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. She’s enjoying her motherhood and wants to take time to get back in shape. However, her detractors are working overtime to suggest this is the end of her career.

Even Kajol who is busy playing mommy to her two kids in a recent interview said, she enjoys being a mother and to quote her said, “Looking after babies is a full-time job, trust me!” Says Renuka Prasad, “Women face challenges at every stage of their lives. If they are married and working, people blame them for neglecting their families. Now, if a woman wants to give up her career to take care of her child, they make her feel miserable with all such stories. What a strange world we are living in where people are not allowed to live life their way.”

Tamil actresses Jyothika, Shalini who are married to actors Suriya and Ajith are content with their lives. Both actresses stopped acting when they were on top. However, they have no regrets because nothing can match the roles they are playing in their real life — being a perfect star wife and a great mom.

New mommy Shilpa Shetty too recently tweeted, “Glad I have the luxury of time to take off but hats off 2 all those moms who multitask home chores/work after a baby single-handedly. Phew.” She was also all praises for women who multitask. She tweeted, “Being a mother is a full time job! One has 2 be ready 2 give 25hrs a day 2 the baby or don’t do it! Amazin how our mothers did it all without any help.”

There’s this post doing the rounds on Facebook which perhaps would be an apt conclusion to this article. Here you go…

‘Just a mom?! I can’t stand it when people say, “You’re JUST a mom?” with their annoying gestures. ” Yes! I am a mom!” (and a Damn good one!) That makes me an alarm clock, cook, maid, waitress, teacher, nurse, referee, handyman, security officer, photographer, counselor, chauffeur, event planner, hairdresser, personal assistant, ATM & I scare away the boogie man or any ghosts that haunt my kids at night. I don’t get any paid holidays, sick pay or days off. I work DAY & NIGHT. I am on call 24/7 for the rest of my life. That’s just BEING A MOM! I may not be anything to you, but I am everything to someone. Enough said.’