LIFE AS IT IS

MOTHERS are protective; they are protective by nature. Mothers shield their offspring, try to keep them out of harm's way every time, all the time. Mothers want the best for their children for sure. However, some mothers are not only protective, they are 'overprotective' about their kids. While a mother's protectiveness is instinctive and critical to a child's survival, is a mother's 'overprotectiveness' desirable or healthy for a child? Are there sometimes high costs associated with a mother's overprotective nature?  When Elora Roushan, 36, a full-time professional and a mother of two, was in her adolescence, she switched to wearing salwar kameez upon her mother's wish. A salwar suit accompanied by a dupatta was the only outfit she was allowed to wear outside. While her friends always wore jeans, she almost never wore them on the streets of Dhaka. Today, she believes that her mother's overprotectiveness made her a shy person and af...

The sign outside the gym door does say that children are not allowed inside. But I pretend I cannot read English when I hit my proximity card key fob on the gym door to allow me in. Why? Because I have no other choice but to ignore this particular sign. When my husband is at work, there is no one at home I can leave my toddler with. But does that mean I cannot work out every day or at least a few times a week? Won't that be unfair to a full-time mom who wishes to stay fit and healthy? Of course, it will be!  I have never noticed if there are hidden close circuit TV cameras inside the gym, but even if there are, the property managers either don't monitor them regularly, or pretend to ignore the presence of a two-year-old visitor inside their gym. Kindhearted people, I must admit.  My toddler, however, is not nearly as kindhearted as the property managers. She does not even care to show compassion on my poor nerves. So, no matter how much I ask her to sit quietly with a boo...