Mumbai Based Mum Palasha Kumar Speaks About Why It’s Important For New Mums To Work

Children learn and pick habits from their parents and hence it is important to teach them by setting examples. Your child will pick your enthusiasm and energy. For a working mum with a super busy schedule, spending time with her child can be as simple as doing a house chore. Family support is undoubtedly needed.

In a candid interview with BabyChakra, Palasha Kumar, Senior Brand Manager at the organisation shares with us how she manages to spend time with her child while balancing work, and why all mums need to have a career.

Palasha Kumar Shares Her Secret Mantra On Balancing Work And Home

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself. 

I am from Aamchi Mumbai but have paternal roots from the coastal state of Goa and am married to a North Indian. I grew up in the beautiful city of Panaji and Pune and did my higher education in Australia. 

I am a passionate marketeer and have worked with iconic brands like Lakmé, Pond’s, Lifebuoy & Dove and now head the marketing for BabyChakra. 

4 things I believe in are :

1) Always put people before products

2) Marketing is no longer about the stuff you make but about the stories you tell. 

3) Quality is more than making a good product.

4) When data talks, always listen.

Innovation and building purposeful brands are what drive me. I am also a certificated international yoga teacher and professional scuba diver. I am fond of travelling to new places to experience different cultures and cuisines. In my free time, (which is not much being a toddler mom), I love baking and gardening.

2. How was your pregnancy journey?

For any first time mum, every moment of pregnancy is surprising and I was no different. My first trimester was quite a rollercoaster with heavy nausea and frequent vomiting. However, the second and third trimesters were much better compared to the first. I was very active till my due date. 

In fact, I even drove to my yoga class a day before I delivered. Yoga and meditation were an integral part of my pregnancy journey and I am thankful to my Gynaec Dr Vanita Raut at Hiranandani Hosp, my prenatal Yoga teacher Dr Rolly Sapru, my husband and my family for taking care of me and guiding me at all points in my pregnancy and after.

3. How many children do you have? 

I am a mother to one handsome toddler (almost three years old) who keeps me on my toes!

4. How has your journey of motherhood been?

It is indeed one of the best phase of my life. There are absolutely no words to express the feeling of nurturing a new life within you. There is no rulebook and every mum has a unique experience.  

When I delivered, I was very lucky to have my husband and family support as needed. I breastfed my son exclusively for six months and along with solids till two years. I started with BLW(Baby Led Weaning) and while it was a little tough initially I kept at it and slowly and steadily my son took to eating all the family food. I can proudly say that I have been successful at passing on the good values of eating healthy food which I learned from my family.

5. How do you manage to give time to your child and work both?

Balance is the key to managing time. We have programmed our work and household activities around our child to utilise the maximum time with him. Also, it is necessary for the child to adapt to the mum’s lifestyle instead of the other way around. 

It can be spending time together in the kitchen where he helps me in preparing meals or spending time together folding clothes, or even coming along with me for grocery shopping. The key is to make them a part of your life in most of the things you do, that way you get things done and spend time with them as well. It’s a win-win for both. I don’t miss any opportunities to be with him. There are some days I miss doing stuff with him due to work, but then I make it a point to compensate for the time over weekends and holidays.

6. How do you spend time with your child? 

As part of our daily routine, I ensure he is picking up the right habits from us while we  spend time together. Be it while brushing our teeth, which is the first thing we do when we wake up or fixing breakfast together. 

During the course of the day, while I work from home, I make it a point to have meals with him and spend a few minutes with him which brings a huge smile to his face. I also ensure every day to spend a non-negotiable two hours before his bedtime doing things he likes like reading or simply chit-chatting. On weekends or holidays we go out, swim, paint, cook, bake and even do gardening together. My son is extremely enthusiastic and ever ready when it comes to helping me with anything at all. 

7. Who are the people that make it possible for you to handle your personal and professional life?

My husband has been a constant support in delivering my goals and has been my cheerleader throughout. He is a hands-on father, and an equal partner as a parent and that’s how it should be. My days can get pretty exhausting! My husband ensures that he takes over the parenting duties without having to ask for it so I can have some time to myself just like he can have his when he needs to. He always wants to make sure I get that solo time that I need. It’s definitely important for me to balance my professional and personal life!

8. How do you take care of your health as a working mum? What are your tips?

As mentioned earlier yoga is an integral part of my life. It helps me not only maintain my energy levels but keeps me focused as a working mum. 

Also during and post delivery, I ensured to take sufficient supplements like vitamin D, iron and calcium because a woman’s body loses a lot of nutrients growing a child inside and while breastfeeding. Hence, it is extremely important to take care of your health, eat a balanced diet, and stay hydrated and nourished. 

9. What is your advice to working parents on parenting?

A child is more intelligent than we know. As parents, our job is to bring the best out of our children. Sharing some tips that have been working for me-

1. Set a routine for your day and get your child to be part of that routine by having fixed times for meals, play, nap etc. this helps you and your child manoeuvre through the day.
2. Create a support system at home because you definitely need that when both parents are working. 
3. Create a work-life balance, so you don’t accidentally overwork and miss out on quality family time. Explore ways to achieve this, including having a dedicated stop time to your days, establishing normal working hours and speaking with your manager about their expectations for work beyond your set schedule.
4. Practice self-care. A big part of being a working parent is taking the time for yourself. It’s important to be able to step away from both work and home at the same time and do something that you enjoy. Try reading a book, spending time on a nighttime skincare routine, meditating, going for a walk, catching up with a friend over dinner or taking an exercise class. Have fun and relax.

10. What is your idea of a relaxing day?

Going for a swim, spending time gardening or baking some yummy treats for my family and of course, spending quality time with my husband and son keeps my body and mind relaxed. 

11. Husbands play an important role in raising children. What are your views on equal parenting?

I truly believe that a husband/father plays a vital role in raising a child just like a mother. A child needs both parents equally while growing up. I feel every father should contribute with the same efforts as the mother in the developmental journey of a child. 

The common belief around parenting as we often hear is that the department wholly and solely belongs to the mother which in my opinion isn’t correct. Equal parenting helps kids become more confident and independent. Teamwork is always easy and fun too.

12. How has being a working mum changed your relationship with your child and husband? 

I have always been very passionate about my career. And becoming a mother did not change that for me. Six months post-delivery when I resumed work I was a little nervous and anxious to leave my son behind but thanks to my family’s support the journey has been comfortable. I am fortunate to have an encouraging husband who has a deep respect for working women and mums.

My son is fully aware of my working schedule and he has been a big support too. He knows when mumma is working and over time has been very disciplined to not disturb me while at work. As a result, we thoroughly enjoy the quality time we spend together, and my son at the age of two years ten months is very independent and wants to do everything himself without our help. We feel proud as parents to be raising a toddler who is becoming more and more independent. This is only possible with a wholehearted team effort by all three of us. 

13. What’s your parenting style? What are your views on disciplining a child? 

We have always preferred to go by gentle and conscious parenting. We always respect his opinion and choices. This helps us in understanding him better. 

As a toddler, there are many emotions that he is coming across and trying to cope and learn to deal with them. We try our best to understand the situation, talk to him calmly like we would to an adult and assess his requirements accordingly. 

Disciplining a child is a long process. Starting from home the journey continues till school and even beyond. As parents, our job is to ensure discipline is introduced in a child’s journey at the right time in the right way. 

This helps them to live a balanced life. I have helped him develop good habits like brushing his teeth to picking up toys after playing, to putting his soiled plates in the kitchen when he is done eating. This not only helps inculcate discipline but also helps imbibe good values in him which will go a long way because the child’s individual experiences build the person they become.

14. What future do you envision for your child?

Every parent wants the best for their child and we are no different. We want our son to grow up as a responsible citizen and contribute and give back to society. We want him to imbibe the positive values and beliefs we set in him and take on the world without limitations.

Palasha believes as parents, it is our responsibility to nurture and guide the child and help them find their own purpose in life and we couldn’t agree more!