Mommy’s Days Out #WriteBravely #WriteProBlogger

Posted in Aks Corner, family, job, Love & Relationships, motherhood, Parenting, Self Love, Travel stories, Write Tribe

I am participating in  The Write Tribe Problogger October 2017 Blogging Challenge. The prompt for today is Terminal. While the interpretation of the this prompt can be several things, I choose the literal one “Airport Terminal”. I couldn’t think of a better way of expressing my emotions as I sit and type this post in the International Terminal of Mumbai Airport awaiting my Swiss Air flight which will take me on a business trip for 2.5 months.

One of the highs of my career- an onshore opportunity for a short term which will give me the chance of living and working in a foreign country (Switzerland is where the head quarters of UBS is as its a Swiss Bank). But as I type this, my eyes are moist as I think of my little daughter who is blissfully sleeping in Pune, unaware that she won’t see me for such a long time. The decision of leaving her behind in the care of my mom was not easy.

When I was initially chosen for this assignment, my joy knew no bounds. I had planned to take my mom and daughter along. But my mom runs a day care from home, thinking of the few kids who spend the day here, leaving them in the lurch would not be a good thing to do. Mom decided she couldn’t really shut her business for 2.5 months and without her, I couldn’t take my daughter Angel to a foreign country as I would be faced with the dilemma of leaving her in a daycare, she has never lived in one. I knew I would have long working hours, how would I manage in a foreign country with a toddler and it dint make sense when it was a 2.5 months assignment and I would be back at the end of the term. Mom was the first one to tell me to grab the opportunity, such chances don’t come every other day. I am the first and the only one so far in the finance function in India to have been selected for an overseas assignment, which is a different role than what I do here.

Those of you who know me are aware that I am very ambitious, I am passionate about my career and leave no stone unturned to move up the ladder. I know that if I put in my best here, it will only strengthen my credibility and brighten my future prospects. The career woman in me was doing a dance in the air and couldn’t wait to embark on this new challenging journey.

The mother in me surprisingly upto this stage was at peace. Its not that there wasn’t any hesitation but I was at peace knowing that I am leaving her in the care of my mother, someone she is used to right since birth and who looks after her when I go to work. I dint have to worry about her well being, As Angel is 2 months short of 3 years, I felt she was too young to miss me, She would be busy playing with the daycare kids, reading her books and sleeping and time would pass quickly.

As the days came nearer, especially the last 24 hours, I suddenly started feeling uneasy. The gnawing feeling as I packed the last few items, settled all the bills, slept beside her holding her close to my heart, fed her breakfast, bathed her, dressed her up, read her a story- The realisation that I won’t be doing this for quite some time, it made me uneasy. I get irritated with her at times when she refuses to take out her clothes to bathe or insists on extra time in the bath tub while I am running late- but the feeling that I will have all the time in the world to get dressed and go to work, no toddler to feed or dress- thats not a very comforting feeling.

A part of me is super excited- its the first time after I became a mom that I would have a chance to get back to my solo life, write to my heart’s content, read as many books as I want, travel to various places as I have almost 9 weekends all to myself. From the time I picked up the pen, I am always complaining about the paucity of time, not enough time to write, to read- but now I would have ample time. Once I get home from work, the entire time is mine. I would also like to use this time to travel- see places outside Zurich like the beautiful city of Lucerne, Interlaken, Geneva, Bern and I have a trip to Paris in the last week of Oct with my brother and sis in law. The added bonus is this is my maiden business class travel- I look forward to the luxurious experience.

The business class experience – this is how it looks like-

Swiss 777-300ER Tour
Image courtesy- Swiss Air

As I left home this afternoon, with my bags, Angel waved me goodbye with a smile. She was busy playing with her friend (bless the kind Mom Preeti who left her daughter at my place to keep Angel occupied). My mom and I couldn’t control our tears but I put on a brave face (Mom was much braver than me) and left. It was nice to see the smiling toddler wave me goodbye.

Now as I sit comfortably in the business loungue after a scrumptious meal and type my post for Day 3, I am at peace- there is excitement bubbling within. Excitement to experience new things that life doles out, be it in terms of work or leisure. I will miss my daughter and my family but giving up on this assignment would not have made me happy either. Whenever I face the dilemma of mom v/s the career woman I always think of my daughter 25 years down the line, facing a similar situation as a mom, what would I ask her to do? That helps me arrive at a decision.

Adieu for now, more stories on the blog from Zurich.

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(Image courtesy :http://www.ceramiassociates.com)

Published by Akshata Ram

Chartered Accountant, Story Teller, Dreamer, Voracious Reader, Blogger, Mommy to a little munchkin, Shopaholic, Day Dreamer.Passionate about my career in the corporate world and aspire to break the glass ceiling, at the same time nurture my passion for writing. My niche area is short stories, I also write on parenting, sexism, life's experiences, micro blogs and flash fiction. I have won the best Parenting blog post at mycity4kids.com the largest parenting website in India, 4 times and several of my posts have been published in the #MostPopular category on this site garnering millions of views. I also write on Bonobology, Rivo Kids, Women's Web and Youth Ki Awaaz. My blog has been chosen as the Top Indian Blogs for the years 2018-2019,2020 by TopIndianBlogs website and found a place in the prestigious Top 22 Indian Literary Blogs in 2020 @TopIndianBlogs.

55 thoughts on “Mommy’s Days Out #WriteBravely #WriteProBlogger”

  1. Great one Akshata! Congratulations on the wonderful opportunity. I am sure you will have a fulfilling time there. Angel will have a great time with her Nani. You summed it up aptly in the last line..just follow that and keep soaring higher. Enjoy 🙂

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    1. I wanted to add this line as well but I will save that for another day- I found great support in the online community especially blogger mums who cheered for me- you are one of those dear ones. Count myself lucky to be blessed with such optimistic and loving people

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  2. I’ve never flown business class. 🙂 Looks nice. All the best for your assignment. I think time will fly when you’re having fun and soaring, so the days will go by quickly, and before you know it, Angel will be jumping into your arms! 😀

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  3. Akshata, this is such a moving post. I loved how you weighed the pros and cons and decided to go leaving your little angel with your mom. Grandmothers love and cherish their grand kids and are the best caretakers for our children. Wish you all the best for your trip to Switzerland and Paris. Have a great time.

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  4. Whoa congrats gurl on this great opportunity – just go an rock it! I admire your guts and hard work to climb all the way in the work sphere. Its amazing to note that you have such an awesome support structure at home. Enjoy this time and I look forward to seeing some amazing pics from you in the next couple of months!! Bon Voyage Aks!!

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  5. A beautiful post Akshata! You have articulated the various emotions you’ve gone through so clearly. It’s always tough to choose being away from your kid, but I am glad you’ve gone with your heart. Have a wonderful time in Europe! Wishing you a lot of success in your career

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  6. Wonderful! It makes me happy to see fellow ladies achieve soo much. It makes even more happy to see YOU navigate through life and achieve this much. Wishing you the best of luck on your trip and travels. You sure are an inspiration to many! 🙂

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  8. Akshata when I saw the prompt your name was the first thing that came to my mind. And I know this is an emotional moment but you did the right thing.. Angel is with her loving grandmother and she will be very happy. As you said, you have to practice what you are going to preach your daughter, to never give up on your dreams… Plus you are blessed coz you have a wonderful mom who is there to support you. All the best dear!

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  9. Wow…. You really are an allrounder. I’m sure it’s not at all easy to leave your daughter behind but you just can’t let such an opportunity to go by especially when you have someone as reliable as your mother to take care of her. Wish you all the best and a fruitful stay in Switzerland.

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  10. Good for you Akshata ! You are blessed that you have a mother who encourages you to fulfill your potential. Always remember that your baby will always be there, but she will grow and leave you too. That is when you will regret your decision to stay at home and watch her 24×7. A working mother has it tough because she faces situations like yours but as you very well know there is no gain without pain.
    Enjoy your trip abroad and may it be the first of many more such opportunities in your life to climb upward.

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  11. Congratulations Akshata for this professional milestone. I went for a trip to Switzerland this July that went by and all the places that you mention you wish to go to are worth your time. Have a great time with all your plans. And God Bless the little angel 🙂

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    1. Yes its an amazing place Anupriya I was here last year as well with Angel and my mom though I could explore only nearby places as Angel was just 2. Hopefully this time I cover more

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  12. Congratulations on the Professional opportunity. I can imagine that it must have been a tough decision to make, but as you said your child is too small to really miss you. And these days of technology I’m sure that you can do daily video calls to keep in touch. Hope you have a great time and may you soar new heights 🙂

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    1. The only issue is the timing difference – by the time I get home by 7 she is off to bed. She doesn’t like talking on the phone much. I do hope I can see lots of pictures- have asked my mom to send me some daily

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  13. That’s a super achievement indeed! Congrats, Akshata!. I’m sure your daughter will be proud of you someday when she looks back. I had a similar sojourn, albeit, of a little different in nature. I had gone to Canada to see off my son at his university and help him settle down there. I quit my successful job a year back to spend more time with him till he was in India. I had a whole month in Canada on my own since sonny boy was in his dorm and I stayed in a homestay. It was quite adventurous! I am guessing that your trip will be as adventurous or rather more so. Enjoy and don’t worry about your daughter, she’ll be just fine. And yes, it’s amazing that you chose to participate in this challenge during such an important milestone of yours. Looking forward to reading about your travel tales!

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  14. Congratulations on this assignment Akshata! I’m sure your daughter will be proud of you, and you’re setting an excellent role model for her to follow when she is older. In the meantime, all the best for your assignment. And enjoy your solo time!

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  17. All the very best Akshata!!! Tough call but your daughter will be immensely proud of you!! Also my Daddy always tells me, taking any decision is tough but always think about the next 10 years while taking it, you will get an answer. So when you look back at your life and the choices you made right now, you will be only proud of yourself. We need more ambitious women like you in our country to be an example & source of inspiration for others. Congratulations for the achievements you have made in your career at such a young age. And all the very best to you. I am so glad to have known you, though not met you but so so proud that you are my friend. Thanks for the business class pictures. All the best!

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      1. Thanks dear. You are an inspiration for me in the true sense. I think of you & the manner in which you manage work & your passion for writing and that is how I push myself. I am so thankful to have you as a friend. And though I haven’t met you, I boast about you all the time and speak about you with friends & family.

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  18. Congrats and all d best for this… Swiss reminds me of Ja Simran Ja jee le apni Zindagi some how… Jst kidding… emotions perfectly penned down..Have a great trip and many more to cum.

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  19. “Whenever I face the dilemma of mom v/s the career woman I always think of my daughter 25 years down the line, facing a similar situation as a mom, what would I ask her to do?” That is such an awesome way of looking at things. If more parents follow this, it will save so much of heartbreak in later years.

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  20. That’s so sweet of you, Akshata. Congrats for your new assignment and first-time business class travel. Time will fly faster than you guess. So utilize it to the fullest for your happiness. My love and hugs to all three of you. Stay cool always.

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  21. Awesome Aks… trust me u are on a right path and setting great example to ur daughter! 25yrs frm now ur daughter’s thoughts on personal life and career will be crystal clear…as she will learn how to strike that balance in life from her mother. Am so proud of you! Hugs!

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  23. The sincerity in your writing and true emotions are making this blog all the more beautiful. I was transported to the scenes of your story….a dilemma that every working mom faces is described so beautifully 🙂

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  24. Pingback: A month away from home #GratitudePost – www.akswrites.com

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