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I'm Choosing Not To Be A Working Woman Because I'm Scared For Her

( words)
*For representational purpose only.

I am a 28-year-old girl from a middle class family in Delhi. In 2014, I got married to the man of my dreams. Last year, I was blessed with a lovely baby girl.

Holding her for the first time brought joy and tears of happiness to my eyes. Now, she's an integral part of our lives; our world revolves around her. Like every parent, we are also extremely protective about her.

I had to take the tough decision of taking a break from my career for her upbringing, because the very thought of leaving her at a day care or at the mercy of a maid gives me nightmares.

At the same time, our financial instability keeps hitting my mind all the time. I don't want my husband to solely bear the brunt of our EMI's and increasing expenditures. I can see him feeling helpless in the middle of the month when we are left with no money. He has given up on all his hobbies and rarely even buys anything for himself. I get to earn some pennies by doing a few odd work-from-home jobs, because that is the only solution that works best in my current situation.

Everyday we wake up to horrifying news of child abuse, gang rapes, kids getting raped and murdered at schools and what not! Add to this the news of these so-called babas raping girls and getting away with it in the name of God! The recent news of a 10-year-old girl being repeatedly raped by her maternal uncle for several months, which led to her getting pregnant, was absolutely shocking.

Imagine that little girl delivered a baby girl! She is so young and innocent that she had to be lied to about having a stone in her stomach because of which she was getting operated.

Kids are regularly falling prey to these disgusting scavengers of society. Humanity is on a constant decline because of these a******s. These rapists think that it’s okay to play with the life of girls, children or anyone lesser in strength to them! And these crimes are increasing at a rapid pace because these criminals don’t fear the law!

They are not scared of our blind judiciary because they know they can get away with the most heinous crimes due to our weak and faulty legal system.

I really fear for the future of my daughter and all the girls out there, given the current situation and if it continues to be like this. Will parents and then husbands always have to accompany them everywhere, to protect them from any untowardly incidents?

Should we just keep them confined to our houses, deprive them of education and a career, and most importantly, the freedom to live their lives like any normal human being!

Just because we can't change the mentality of these dirty pigs, or do anything to stop them, we try to protect our children by curtailing their independence, controlling the way they dress, the people they befriend, the friends they play with, the places they go to… Indirectly, we parents become their watch guards against the ills of the society.

And this phenomenon continues for an entire lifetime. We start by teaching our little kids how to differentiate between good and bad, a good touch and a bad touch and the cycle goes on and on; even when they grow up. But why...and more importantly till when?!

Why can't we live a fearless and secured life with our children?

How can we think about the bigger issues of the country when our own family is not secured? Why should a mother have to give up on her career to ensure her child's safety and protection?

I dream of a day when our children will be progressive, when society will be free of discrimination and a better tomorrow will finally dawn.

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