A Hyderabad woman has sparked a conversation on working motherhood after sharing an emotional moment with her young son, who once asked her whether he was more important to her than her office.
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Taking to Instagram, Lavanya Vaddanam shared a video in which she spoke in her local language about an incident involving her seven year old son. The text overlaid on the clip translated her words into English.
A question that left her thinking
Lavanya said that one morning, before leaving for school, her son asked her if they could make a greeting card together when he returned in the evening. She promised him that they would do it, but later got delayed at work.
By the time she reached her parents’ house, picked him up and returned home, it was already quite late. She noticed that her son looked upset.
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“When I asked, ‘Why are you looking so dull?’ he said, ‘Mommy, what is more important to you, me or your office?’” she recalled.
Lavanya said the question left her taken aback. She immediately told him, “What kind of question is that? Of course, you are more important. Don’t you know that?”
However, the moment stayed with her. She wondered why she had to explain something she believed he already knew.
Explaining work and emotions to children
Before he went to bed, Lavanya sat with her son and explained why work sometimes made her late. She told him, “Sometimes, because of my work, I get delayed. That’s part of my job. I need you to understand that. But that doesn’t mean you are not important to me. You are the most important person in my life.”
She said that even if he understood only half of what she was saying, the conversation felt necessary.
“To my surprise, he actually did understand,” she said, adding that after the conversation, her son began asking her if she was tired or needed water whenever she came home late.
In the caption, Lavanya wrote, “At the end of the day, all they really need is our presence.”
Watch the clip here:
Internet reacts
The clip drew several reactions from social media users, many of whom related to the emotional struggle of balancing work and parenting.
One user wrote, “This is such an important conversation every working mother has in her heart.” Another said, “Children understand more than we think, but they also need reassurance.” A third commented, “The way he started caring for you after that is so beautiful.”
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Another user wrote, “Mothers carry so much guilt silently.” Someone else said, “Explaining your struggles to children in a gentle way can make them more empathetic.”
(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)