Priyanka is young mother with two beautiful kids, Jinisha and Atharv. With early motherhood in her life she could not focus on her career. But she made a very intelligent move, she got her kids, spent time with them and now she forayed into business and exploring the avenues where she can use her skills and knowledge. Instead for waiting for an opportunity to knock at her door, she made the door and now proudly walking through it. With her first venture, FunandFelt, she is already making waves in the kid's craft projects and with summer vacations just round the corner, she is busy fulfilling the orders of her felt books and activities.
Me: How is it handling two kids at quite a young age?
Priyanka: Trans-formative. It changed my life 360 degrees. Even if you have maternal instincts from a very young age, you can only experience what motherhood is after you be one.
Me: Go on....!
Priyanka: It is magical as well as tiring. There are times when you feel that you are not a good mother, your mind is messed up and your kid is cranky, and then there are those beautiful moments where you feel that this is the most precious gift you can ever have. My kids have given me the most pure and selfless form of love. It has given me a new strength in myself and a new meaning to life.
Me: I can't agree on the point that kids teach you the most pure and selfless form of love. My son changed my outlook towards life completely. Did you experience the same?
Priyanka: I think Yes. After kids you see the world in a very different manner. It’s much scarier now. If u have a toddler and he goes out of sight for 5 seconds, it gives you a mini heart attack, nib of pen suddenly becomes sharp object. Yet at the same time you get to see the world through the innocent child’s eyes, with amazement and wonder. Small things start to matter to you again. It’s like re-living your childhood. You see shapes in the cloud, looking at moon and stars are so fascinating.
Me: Very sweet! As you married very young and became mom also quite young, so how easy or difficult it was for you to handle a newborn?
Priyanka: Yeah I was 25 when I had my daughter. Though it is a good age to have babies but looking at the current graph, it was pretty early.
It was not very difficult because I was supported in a great manner by my family and my mother was always there to guide me. Moreover I feel motherhood can be learnt only through experience.
Me: As your mother was there to help you during raising your daughter, did you find any similarity between both of you as a mother?
Priyanka: I m not very different but she is much more caring. Her selflessness is to another level only. My kids are my priority but at the same time I want to have a life of my own. Once in a while I need some get away it can be movie in theater or shopping without kids.
Me: Oh that is pretty reasonable. You are not asking for much at all. What is one thing you would like to pick and one you don't want from your mother's parenting in your lifestyle?
Priyanka: I want to be as patient as my mother. Motherhood demands a lot of patience and I don't have that in abundance at all. And for me “mummy” means comfort and I want my kids to feel the same. One thing which I don’t want to include in parenting is being extra protective. Now I do understand why she feels so scared about me all the time. But life won’t be a bed of roses all the time, they will fall and then they should know how to get up and be strong enough to do that.
Me: Tell something about your new venture, Funandfelt.
Priyanka: When my daughter was around two, I was searching for something playful and educative for her. I loved the idea of Learning through play and came across the felt book video. I realized the soft nature of the material and thought it will be handy for children. After juggling for many days, I decided to make an activity book for her.
The initial glimpses of the book have been very encouraging and the continuous appreciation of family and friends motivated me.
Me: Yeah I do see lot of your stories in which you mention about happy customers. The idea is great.
Priyanka: Yeah! It is getting appreciated a lot and also some happy customers too.
Me: Good Good! How often you talk to yourself as a person on all the levels.
Priyanka: Hmmmm...Well I would say I talk to myself often. And it is very important to introspect. So that you know where and how your life is and how can you make it better. As a home maker my responsibility is not limited to just fulfilling daily chores, somewhere I feel responsible for their overall well being as a person and specially for their lifting them emotionally as well.
Me: As stay at home mum is a very demanding and full time job, how do you find some time for yourself?
Priyanka: As my kids have started going to school, I get some time. An year back, it was a different scene. As I live in a small town and was not satisfied with the schools here so I decided to home school Jinisha for a year and Atharv was also too small so it practically left me with no "me" time. But things are rolling good now as Jinisha is in LKG and Atharv goes to play school.
Me: Home-schooling is one of the bold decisions a parent can make for their child. It is really good you chose that instead of compromising with the situation. Am sure it would have been a great experience.
Priyanka: Yes it was indeed a good one. Both for me and Jinisha.
Me: So how does your day look like?
Priyanka: I do not have any ideal day in my mind. But it would be a balance of everything. Doing something I love like shopping or watching movie or spending some quality time with my hubby as that is also rare after kids. And after that I would love to have some fun time with my kids, maybe taking them for ice cream. Kids find happiness in simplest of things.
Me: As you are mum to a boy and a girl, what difference you find in raising a boy and a girl or it is just the same?
Priyanka: No, it is not same to bring up a boy and a girl. Their minds different for instance if you go to a toy shop, a girl will get attracted to a doll or a tea set but a boy would want car and ball. This can interchange when they grow up. They have different preferences.
I think girls are more sincere and responsible and boys have immense energy, they are more naughty and rowdy.
Me: Do you wish to explore some more avenues for yourself as an individual?
Priyanka: Yes, I do have plans for that. As my kids are getting more independent, it spares me enough time to do something for myself. As an individual, I do not just want to be good mother to my kids or a wife to my husband. I don’t want to limit myself to a homemaker. There is more to life. So my goals are set and I am working on what to do next.
Me: That is very good because it is very easy to get monotonous in life irrespective of your work status. How does your husband, Sunil, help you in your work and vice versa?
Priyanka: I help Sunil with all his accounts and finance in his business and he helps me with FunandFelt whenever he can. Though with domestic chores, he helps me a lot like getting kids ready for school and changing them and putting them in bed. And if one of them wakes up early in the morning and wants to have milk he is the one to get it.
Me: What is your favorite activity with your kids?
Priyanka: Nothing in particular but any activity which makes them laugh and happy is my favourite, one of such activity is dancing with them, I turn on the music and we three rock the floor.
Me: If given a chance, would you like to swap your day with a working mother and see what her day looks like? If yes, which profession you would choose to be in for a day?
Priyanka: Yes, I would like to step in a working mother’s shoes and see how her day looks. But I don’t know which profession to choose.
Me: Things people should stop saying to new mothers.
Priyanka: I don’t know what people should stop saying but I hate when people or parents compare kids. Every kid is different and they attain milestones at their own pace.
Me: So true! Thanks for taking time out and talking to us.
Priyanka: Thank you for making me part of the beautiful series.
Happy Reading!