Ø My mother is a housewife. This is how she spends a typical day in
her life. She gets up at 5.00, a.m. While the rest of the family are still
asleep, she sets about cooking our' breakfast. At about 5.30, she begins to
wake up the school going ones among us. As one by one we emerge from the
bathroom, she hands us our school uniforms all wished and ironed. The younger
ones are even combed and dressed by her. The school buses begin to arrive at
6.00 a.m., and by 7.00 a.m. the last one of us has left for school. By this
time, our father, and our elder brothers and sisters who go out to work, have
all got up and washed themselves. They all join our mother at breakfast.
Ø
The breakfast over, she puts on the fire, the cauldron for boiling
the day's washing, While the linen is-getting ready for washing, she sweeps the
floor, makes our beds and wakes up our brothers and sisters who are not old
enough to go to school, or who go to afternoon school.
Ø
By 8.30 a.m., all working members of the family have left for
their places of work. My mother, after washing, dressing, and feeding the
younger children, begins to wash the clothes. Having washed and rinsed them
carefully, she hangs them on line at the back of the house.
Ø
While she is washing clothes or attending to other domestic
chores, she is constantly mindful of the children. They might hurt themselves
inside the house or stray out of it. The hawker who comes
selling fish, meat, vegetables are not allowed to pass unnoticed. Even the Town
Board scavengers are not forgotten. If she did not supervise them, they might
leave the dustbin untouched, or they might n6t empty it completely.
Ø
It is already 10.30a.m, now. She prepares some refreshments for
the children and for herself. When these have been served, she begins to cook
the afternoon meal for the family. It must be ready by 1.00p.m when the
office-workers begin to arrive for a quick meal before returning to work by
2.15 p.m. The last one of us does not return form school until well past 2.30.
Thus our mother is not free to rest up t 3.00 p.m.
Ø
After a short rest, or nap, she is on her feet again by 4.00.p.m.
The morning washing has already been collected, and she now irons it. Meanwhile
directed by her, we bathe and dress ourselves for the evening, and do our
homework.
Ø
When the clothes have been washed, she assisted by my sisters,
cooks dinner for the family, and sends us, boys, out to play some games. By the
time we return, the dinner is ready. It is served and eaten at 7.00 pm.
Ø
It is now time for her to visit some housewife friends in the
neighborhood or to receive them if they happen to arrive first. Alternatively,
she may have to accompany our father on a visit to some of our friends and
relatives in other parts of the town. Failing this, she watches some of her
favorite television programmers’ up to 8.00 p.m. After this while we do our
homework, she stitches our uniforms, if we have torn them, and mends our
buttons if they have come off. By 10.00 p.m.
Ø
She must go to bed, or next morning she may not be able to get up
in time.
Ø Her life may appear hard and monotonous to others, but she enjoys
every moment of it. She spends it in the service of us, whom she loves.
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