My special family

MY SPECIAL FAMILY

It was last week when I spotted something unusual in the toy aisle of my local departmental store . Lego's newest figure: A hip-looking stay-at-home dad dressed in a bright red shirt and denim jeans. He was a cute looking dad holding his child in stroller with a working mom standing next to him.

"How sweet, how appreciative, finally", I thought.
With a twinkle in my eye and a smile on my face, I bought that Lego set for my daughter.

I am a proud son of two loving individuals whose love story is very unusual yet so beautiful...

My parents met at engineering school in India. They got married in the early 1980s and moved to Canada. Me and my twin brother Sam were born in 1984. Sam was a bright kid but he had problem keeping focus, had difficulty keeping track of time. He was very caring but he had a complicated personality. At the age of 6 he was diagnosed with ADD. Both my parents worked so our grandmother and nanny took care of us in the afternoon till our parents got back from work but as time passed Sam started having more problems in school. Baba and Mama used to spend hours helping him complete his homework. Kids at school started to tease him. We were in 3rd grade when our grandmother passed away. Soon afterwards our nanny also left us. My brother got very sick all of a sudden. Children with ADD generally have deficits in the ability to think and to organize. He needed a lot of attention. Baba and Mama were very worried for him.

Next thing I remember was that my Baba quit his job to take care of Sam and me. He told my mother to continue her work while he will look after the house and the kids. He started taking Sam to the library more often. He taught me to ride the bike, picked us at the bus stop everyday. Cooked for us, took us to the grocery store and to bookshops. All of a sudden Sam started to get better. He was more relaxed and happy. Mama on the other hand tried to help Baba as much she could on the weekends. We all were so happy but then suddenly kids in school and people in the neighborhood started making fun of my Baba.

" Your dad does not has a job, all he does is make sandwiches for you and play in the backyard with you, my dad said that I should better not turn out like him"

" Hey, you're dad is just Mr. Mom"

"Daddy baby sitter"

All these comments and that weird look in people"s eyes made me sad, made me angry...

Yes my family was a bit unusual among all the other Desi Families in our community.

Then one day Mama took me to the ice cream shop and said "let people say what they are saying but you and Sam and I know that Baba is doing such a great job by taking care of you guys, our family is very different and very unique from all other families, we are the best"

Yeah my family was so unique, so special we had a loving father who take care of us and the house, we had our mother who worked 9-5 every day for us. Both our parents respected each other, Mama never looked down at Baba and he never seemed angry or ashamed at being home all day doing the housework.

My brother Sam has gotten so much better now he works at a local departmental store. I am a successful lawyer, happily married and father of a little girl. My parents have started a small online business. Baba still takes care of all the chores around the house and Mama respects him and loves him, maybe more than any other Desi wife I know...

I am a proud son of a Stay-at-home dad and a professional mother...