By When I was a kid, I went to my aunt’s house. They invited me to join them for lunch. Their family was big with 7 daughters and a son. The dining table was ten seater. The ceiling fan was fixed near one end of the dining table. So only those sitting under the fan would be comfortable while others will have to sweat. I went and sat on a dining chair under the fan. One of the sisters immediately asked me to move to a different chair. She said that the chair is always reserved for my brother. Our mother says he should sit comfortably during dining. I was taken aback when she said that. I asked her if she was okay with feeling humid. She said that they are used to it. I firmly said I would not move, and let brother sit on a different chair today.
In my family, my mother does not like wasting food. So any leftovers will be used in the next meal. It will be equally shared between the four of us, me, my sister and my parents. Recently I had to stay with another close relative of mine for a few days. The family had an aged couple and their son. While preparing our meal, Aunty said, let’s make something nice for uncle and my son. We have leftovers to eat. I kept looking at her for a minute. She continued advising me that I should follow the same with my family and care for my husband the same way. I immediately told her that I was not used to eating leftovers, so Aunty kindly serve me fresh food.
We talk about women’s equality. Pampering the male gender starts at home. Women cannot go against women. It’s high time mothers treat both sons and daughters the same way. Sometimes I think, it’s not my place to go and change women to voice out to treat them equally. It’s after all their choice. If you want to be treated equally, then stand up for yourself.