Life, a Bitter and Sweet Symphony

Red roses turn to Yellow poops, candle-light dinners change to cold lunch and late night movies give way to late night crankiness. This honest list shares 5 changes that a couple experience after they become parents. A warning for couples thinking to be parents, throwback for parents who have (un-graciously) crossed through this phase and an encouraging pat-on-the-back for recent parents: 1.        No time for Partner – When you bring a baby into a relationship, you are bringing a lot more than tiny toes and soft wobbly hands. You are going on a 24*7 job that, in all probabilities, would leave you with little to no time for your partner. Sex, particularly, takes a nosedive. Off course, you both love each other still, but who has got the time to confess? 2.        No Time for Sleep – There’s no such term as ‘sound-sleep’ in young parents’ dictionary. Heck, you can’t even guarantee an hour of uninterrupted sleep because it’s the baby who decides when and how much you sleep.

One of the privileges of living with the family (read mother) is you never have to make tea for yourself. You always get it served in a cup along with a quarter plate of bhujia after you retire for the day. A glass of milk changed to a cup of tea when I started my graduation. I remember one day when my mother was making tea for herself in the evening and offered me half of an already half cup. I wasn’t very fond of tea till then, but there was something so enticing about the  tea aroma that day that I greedily drank it. My mother’s hands smelled of detergent powder and fingertips crinkled with water. The tea was her share of warmth after drying out a bucket full of clothes in the sun. But I had it instead, claiming to my ego self that she can make it again anytime for herself. The tea was strong, with very less sugar and just the perfect amount of tea leaves. I felt purged. That day, I realized that tea has a substance and essence. And most importantly, it has a soul.