No one can deny the immense sacrifice that parents, especially mothers, do for raising their kids. But our society seldom celebrates their contribution and selflessness.
There are many new moms who, willingly or because of lack of support, take a career break. Though most of them struggle to rejoin the workforce, people hardly make an effort to appreciate their selflessness and courage to put a hold on their dreams for their kids.
One such mother is Sania Mirza, who has been a six-time Grand Slam winner and former Wimbledon doubles champion. One of the finest women’s tennis player, announced a break from tennis to give birth to her first child with former Pakistan cricket captain Shoaib Malik in October last year.
No one can deny it wasn’t an easy decision for Sania to make as she was in a good phase of her career. Like many other selfless moms, Sania shares how she has no regret of taking a two-year maternity break from tennis, and she wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.
While sharing her experience of embarking on the journey of motherhood, Sania shared with India Today
“Making a decision at that point was not that hard for me because I was very sure that if I ever sort of wanted to walk away from tennis or come out of it or even take a break I wanted to be on the top. I was still in the top 10 in the world when I decided to have a baby. And it was not something that was an accident, we planned to have a baby and we both were ready.”
Sania further revealed that ahead of the pregnancy she was a little concerned about her non-maternal nature. But that changed after the birth of her son, Izhaan.
“Something clicked, maybe the maternal instinct in me and I am generally not a very maternal person, so I was little worried about my child thinking if I am not so maternal, I hope I am maternal towards my child. But now I am to my child. Thank God for that.
In general, as athletes, we live a very selfish and self-centered life. We live a life that revolves around us, our food, training, match, and everybody else revolves around you because you are the one who’s going to go out and perform and it sort of makes you a little self-centered and it’s a job hazard and not something that we try to do as an athlete.
So we were dealing with 2 athletes that way. Shoaib is also an athlete. And a lot revolves around him as well. That is the biggest change that has happened. I can say in me for sure. Because the minute that I held Izhan in my hands nothing mattered anymore. It didn’t matter whether I got any sleep or not, I didn’t get any food or what. Nothing mattered. That is the maternal instinct that sort of kicks in. And that is parenthood and I would not trade it for the world. And when I sit back and think was it the right time or not, absolutely yes.”
As Saina Mirza, 33, has recently announced her comeback to the court, we wish her all the best. In these times, when there are so many moms are struggling to restart their careers after a break, Sania Mirza is an inspiration to many new moms.
Whether you are a stay-at-home or a working mom, we know your challenges may be different but the struggle would be the same. At IFORHER, we feel it is high time our society starts appreciating and celebrating the great effort of moms make to give their kids the best upbringing.