Tuesday, September 6, 2011

The Balancing Act

When I was young, I'd often hear negative comments about mothers who took pains to fix themselves up. Mothers who looked polished and dressed up turned heads in school and not in a positive way. Our society simply is more impressed with mothers and wives who really look their part, drab and oftentimes looking older than they are. Growing up, I also acquired this bias.

Fast forward to several years later and I'm in the same situation as those mothers who were whispered about. I have not actually heard negative comments about the effort I make to take care of myself but I am certain, it has raised the eyebrows of some. Those people who do not fully know me. But I am helpless against my genetic predisposition inherited from my father. My mother fit perfectly into the picture of a devoted mother, and she is. Her lipstick probably expired before she even used half of it. But it was simply because she was a simple person who found happiness in collecting plates and gardening as well as cooking great meals for us rather than in self-pampering.

At the risk of negative comments, I have continued to be who I am because this is where I find happiness While I draw the line at being self-obsessed, there is nothing wrong with a little pampering every now and then, especially if you have dutifully fulfilled your obligations to your family. We have as much responsibility to take care of ourselves as we do to our families. Let's face it, if we didn't, who would? It is a rare thing for husbands to remember to give their wives some time off to themselves for a much needed Me-time.

How one looks should not be a measure of how she performs her duties as a mother and wife. It is a tougher balancing act to be able to take care of a family and oneself than it is to take care of a family and neglect yourself. As for myself, all I can say is that being who I am is fun. I have my family who has nothing to complain about me duty-wise and I am enjoying it to the fullest being a woman.

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