Gave Up Pressure To Conform, Embraced My Natural Self As A Mom: Saloni Mehrotra

It all began seven years ago when my daughter Avni came into this world. As I savoured each moment of motherhood, something else started to creep up on me.

My hair, once a luscious shade of black, had begun to grey. At first, it didn't bother me much, but soon enough, everyone around me began to inquire as if it was an issue. Relatives, friends, acquaintances, and even strangers, had an opinion about my hair. They couldn't resist comparing how I looked in the past, and after giving birth. Suggestions poured in, from the nearest beauty parlour to the latest hair colouring trends. I tried to shrug it off, but the constant chatter became too much to bear.

The answer is in black and white

One evening, as my husband returned from work, I mustered the courage to ask him the question that had been weighing on my mind. "Does my grey hair bother you?" I asked, anxiously. He replied calmly, "It's irrelevant to me." He knew about the advice I had been receiving, and added, "Do what makes you happy. If you don't want to colour your hair, then don't." With a smile, he walked away, and I fully felt my own confidence and self-esteem surge back. And just like that, I had my answer. I chose to give up the pressure to conform and embrace my natural self. It made me happy.

Giving up my career and finding it again

Often, other people assume that giving up a career is a quick way out of a challenging situation. However, it can be much more difficult than one might imagine. I was in such a situation when I took a career break to care for my daughter. Leaving behind years of hard work was not at all easy, and I spent many sleepless nights contemplating my options. Ultimately, I made one of the toughest decisions of my life and chose to give up my job to be with my daughter.

Some people around me thought that it was “the convenient thing” for me to do and did not truly understand the difficulty of letting go. There were times when I justified my actions, thinking maybe then they would see sense in what I did but slowly I gave up on the explanations! I realised over a period that I did what I thought was best for my child, and no amount of explaining can do justice to the feeling that drove my actions.

With the encouragement and support I received from my immediate family and with the help of FlexiBees, I was able to restart my career. It was a daunting task, but with their assistance, I was able to overcome the challenges and begin a new chapter in my professional life.

This is why my workplace is more than just a workplace for me. I work as a part of the business development team. As a part of my job profile, I help a lot of women who are looking for remote and flexible work opportunities. It gives me immense pleasure to help place these women and watch them succeed. I am proud to be part of this visionary team and it's also comforting to have a commonality as each of us has all given up something along the way to be where we are today. Each one of us is imperfect in our way, but that's what makes us unique and an amazing team. We celebrate our individuality and embrace our quirks, just like my grey hair!

#OwnItAll is our tribute to mothers, asking them to own all they have been through, all they have been, and all they ever wanted to be. This Mother’s Day, SheThePeople is proud to collaborate with FlexiBees to help bring stories of women who embraced challenges, took charge of their lives and returned to work, one way or another.

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