Friday, July 11, 2008

I don't know how she does it by Allison Pearson


I received an e-mail which, I am sure, must have travelled several locations and numerous mailboxes, to reach mine. It was sent by my sister-in-law. It is a caricature of multi-tasking women. Actually multi-tasking woman is a misnomer – women in general are multi-tasking.

I keep cribbing about how we, the women, have no time for anything. We always keep rushing from one job to another, from house work to office work, always pushing our envelope; and how we do double shift everyday. But somewhere, I know when you are able to do a good job out of it, you feel satisfied. There is a sense of gratification in feeding your family and doing your job at office, in a way only you can do. I admit, there is a sense of pride in being indispensable everywhere. That’s what we crave for. Right girls?

I think I have shared this before, but nevertheless. There is this book called I don’t know how she does it by Alison Pearson. I think it handles the issue of guilt felt by all working mothers, quite endearingly. It makes you feel a kind of déjà vu every now and then.

The question which keeps coming back is whether a good mother will leave her children in the hands of a nanny to go out and realize her dreams. And if she is morally right in doing so? There is really no “Yes” or “No” to this, nor am I an authority to say anything. It depends on person to person. I can say for sure, no mother wants to leave her child to go out and have fun, without feeling guilty about it. We have been brought up that way. We have been brought up to believe that raising children is our responsibility and if we do not do it well, it is wrong. Our society, since so many years, has led us to believe that we have to provide for the family sacrificing our own desires; and now we have got used to the idea so much that we do not believe it any other way!

I think every working woman, mother or not, should read this book. She would see herself in several fine nuances in this book, and have a laugh at it. Trust me girls, it is worth your money. After all, after an entire day of multi-tasking, you can do with some mindless fun!

I was lucky to get hold of this during Sale at Landmark.