Thursday, September 13, 2012

NO-HOME-OUT-OF-HOME

"How I wished I never had holidays other than weekends", Suma sighed. The plates were stopped being swept with a spoon by her friends. There was silence for a second. Those who knew her well, understood.

The information technology era has created a plethora of opportunities and different classes of working women right from full- time, part- time, telecommuting to freelancing and much more. There is one more category of people originating from these changes who are less mentioned - different categories of parents. Few decades ago, the family lived in a single town which made it easier for the married children to meet their parents. Women could leave their little ones under safe hands and go for a job. Today, things are different. We have full-time-hometown, part-time-hometown, full-time-out-of-hometown parents. The help of the elderly becomes necessary for working parents to look after their kids. And this creates another new section of people who are seldom taken into consideration - the no-home-out-of-home category!


Many like Suma fall under this section. Because of their siblings being working couples, their parents are out of home as a result of which they don't have a home apart from their regular place of stay.




Whenever there is a long holiday like Dussera or Christmas, the plight of such mothers becomes pathetic, especially if their children are in pre-school. The father wants a break and wishes to send the mother and kid for a vacation. A vacation to be a vacation, has to be enjoyed or relaxed. The mother feels the same as it is difficult to engage a preschooler all alone at home. But the mother whose parents are either part-time-hometown or full-time-out-of-hometown parents, feels helpless, homeless! She is taken for granted as she is a mere homemaker and is supposed to have sufficient private time to relax for herself.


This applies to men as well. After all the hustle and bustle in the office, how nice it would be if they could sit and watch a cricket match without being nagged by the wife to get groceries for the next day or the child asking for a new water bottle. Won't it be heavenly to have mother's preparation on a lazy Sunday in hometown after a good chat with old buddies?

I take this as an opportunity to address all those who somehow seem to be related to such categories. Do give your children a break by helping them find a shelter to relax and rejuvenate themselves for the next busy schedule. After all, Frost was right.

"Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in."

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