Be the voice for your child till he gets one of his own. And while being his voice do justice to him as you would do to yourself and stop blaming the grandparents and relatives and everyone around you for not being able to do the best for your child.
When you birth a baby, he is your responsibility and it’s your duty to see if he’s fed well, slept well and taught well. Don’t have a baby because everyone has one, have a baby when you want one and are ready to give in to all the crap you have to deal with.
I see mothers everywhere blaming the grandparents if the child has had papad, cookie, sweets or any food that should not be given to your child for better health. I see children drinking tea and carbonated drinks when you know it’s no better than poison for them. So you know how much sugar is in those? Do you know what caffeine does to the body?? I see children eating junk noodles at birthday parties, and I see them eating junk in front of their parents, and I hear the parents say — it’s okay if I give them this once in a while and the grandparents are to be blamed for it.
Come on moms, if you stand up for yourself then why not for your own child? For those who can’t voice their opinion, as India is full of families where the bahu is not supposed to have a say in the decisions affecting their child, ask someone trustworthy to watch over your kids and tell you what they have been eating. If you can, then make sure you talk, explain and fight it out. Trust me this fight is easier than fighting for feminism and gender equality. These are your people, your family and will eventually hear you.
Ask your husband to support you by talking and explaining. If it’s the grandparents, try to explain them too. Make them watch videos, read, ask for your doctors help, ask for help from who you know they would listen to. Keep trying, you might have a tuff time in the beginning but it’s at least worth a try. And in spite of everything, if you can’t do anything about it, then accept it but don’t blame others.
I stay in a joint family of 14 people but my children don’t drink tea/coffee, carbonated drinks or eat magi. My elder son is 4 and a half years old and the younger one is 19 months old. If you know these food and beverages are harmful to us as adults, don’t you think it’ll be worse for the children?
I stopped working to give time to my children and because I knew they wouldn’t need me later as much as they need me now when they are young. I stopped working because I wanted to be their voice when they didn’t have any and to stand up for them. I have been with them all the time. And this is a choice and not a compulsion. I have stopped people from feeding them junk and have been in their bad books too, but when someone sees you so committed to motherhood they definitely give in.
I understand that not everyone can leave work, maybe due to financial circumstances or if you are the main person running your family, but you can surely stand up for the children and their health and encourage healthy eating. Children these days are suffering from obesity, childhood diabetes, cholesterol and god knows what all and it’s no one but us who has to be blamed.
