Shunali Khullar Shroff has variously been a journalist, freelance writer, the owner of a successful PR firm and a blogger. Now, she’s an author with her recently published book Battle Hymn of a Bewildered Mother – so we asked her to tell us the unexpected things motherhood throws at you 🙂 xoxo – MM

Shunali Shroff
Shunali Shroff
  1. Not only will you be okay with the nausea, the weight gain, the sleepless nights and incontinence during and after your pregnancy but you will also be masochistic enough to go through this all over again. Only a lunatic would do that.
  2. You will believe your child is a genius at birth and unlike any other in his/her pre-school class.
  3. You will be as good as a qualified

doctor by the time your child is five, if not a competent one then definitely a confident one. Google will greatly be of assistance to you in your misdiagnoses of disease in your children.

  1. You will talk to other women at length about your epidural and labor and they will actually care.
  2. Your meal times will mystically always coincide with your children’s potty timings.
  3. No matter what you do, whatever does not work out in your children’s lives when they grow up will be your fault.
  4. You will finally begin to agree with your mother over most matters.
  5. Your spouse will often remind you that the good traits in your children are from his side of the family and all the undesirable ones from yours.
  6. You will never ever be the perfect model of motherhood you had planned to be. You will end up saying unwise things and using inappropriate language in the presence of your kids more often than you care to.
  7. One way or another, you will always be guilty. Guilty that you did this, guilty that you didn’t. Guilty that you were too strict, guilty you weren’t strict enough. Guilty that you pushed them hard to excel, guilty you let them be. Guilty that you made them independent, guilty that you did it too soon…and so on and so forth.
  8. No matter what you wear or what music you listen to, a time will come when your children will find you un’cool’.
Battle Hymn of a Bewildered Mother
Battle Hymn of a Bewildered Mother

You can pick up Battle Hymn Of A Bewildered Mother on Flipkart, Amazon and all major book stores! Plus, you can attend a book reading session of ‘Battle Hymn of a Bewildered Mother’ with Tara Sharma & Perizaad Zorabian on 24th April at Kitab Khana, Fort, 5:30pm.