Monday 21 January 2013

Super(stitious) Mom

Becoming a mother has made me see myself in a new light, as a superstitious person. Growing up, I came across many superstitions like don't sleep with your feet towards South or stop if your path is crossed by a cat. These were the common ones and we took them in our stride. I accepted those which had some logic, discarded some others and ridiculed most of them.
 
 After marriage, there were a whole bunch of women in my new family to introduce me to their own set of superstitions. After trying to follow a few of them in order to adjust, I realized that following them all might cause insanity and will make my life difficult. But after Coco was born, I was ready to accept the latest set of myths and superstitions about babies just to keep the peace of my mind. If they were no good, they were doing no harm too.  
 
But I was amused to find the variety and range of superstitions. There always seems to be something new I am yet to find out. They range from outright ridiculous to hilarious. I try not to scream at some and some are simply jaw-droppingly strange. I guess women have been busy making these 'rules' for themselves for centuries, they did not try to do some real work get done! I tried to write down some of them just for fun:
  • Do not cry with the baby on your lap.
  • There is a particular hair on the baby's head which when touches your breast, you get mastitis.
  • Do not leave baby's clothes on the washing line overnight.
  • Cross your arms and clutch yourself while drinking water or it will make your milk watery. (Why? How on earth?)
  • Do not make Besan Cheelas (crepes) while you are pregnant.
  • Do not eat misshapen fruits while you are pregnant.
  • Do not go out during an eclipse while you are pregnant.
So awesomely breathtaking, aren't they? More to come...