Despite social stigma, I’m a happy stay-at-home Indian father

When I began working from home, it was not a choice, but a compromise. I had met with a road accident not once but twice within four months and therefore had to quit my full time job as a journalist.

开始在家工作对我来说并不是一种选择，而是一种妥协。仅在四个月之内我就遇到了两次交通事故，因此我必须放弃我新闻记者的全职工作。

My wife Shabina, who is also a journalist, had landed a good job opportunity. Both of us were each other’s only support system.

我的妻子沙碧娜也是一位新闻记者，她得到了一个极好的工作机会。而我们两个都是彼此唯一的支持系统。

During that period, she got pregnant with our first child. But yes with my support we did manage to sail through her pregnancy and on September 16, 2014 our beloved son came into our lives.

在此期间，她怀上了我们的第一个孩子。是的，在我的支持下，我们顺利度过了她的怀孕期。2014年9月16日，我们可爱的儿子来到了我们的生活里。

The job of being a full-time hands-on father was both a challenging and daunting task for me, especially because, in India, the concept of a caretaker daddy is alien.

做一个事必躬亲的全职父亲对我来说既是一个挑战，又是一项艰巨的任务。这尤其是因为在印度，奶爸这个概念是被排斥的。

For eight months, I fed Yahya (the name of my son), changed his diapers, went for his vaccinations with my wife, pacified him when he cried and remained awake when he cried in the night (which he did on rare occasions). I was completely okay with all this arrangement. My ego wasn’t dented, rather I enjoyed every moment that I spent with my son, every moment that I saw him grow. My daily routine moves according to his activities each particular day. Time started flying.

八个月时间里，我喂叶海亚（我儿子的名字）吃饭，为他换尿布，和我妻子一起去给他接种疫苗，他哭闹的时候安抚他，他在夜里哭闹时，我便也一直醒着（这种情况很少发生）。我对这些安排完全没有问题。我的自我意识并没有被削弱，我享受着和儿子相处的每时每刻，享受看他成长的每时每刻。我的日常生活围绕着他每一天的活动进行。时间开始过得飞快。

My family, both immediate and extended, were supportive. And needless to say, my wife also supported and took care of Yahya when she was home.

不管是直系亲属还是大家庭的成员，我的家人们都十分支持我。更不用说我妻子了，她在家的时候也会照顾叶海亚。

Unlike many countries, India is a male-dominated country and conservative when it comes to such situations. Many looked down on me, thinking that I was being a lesser man and that I shouldn’t be doing what I was doing. Some smirked at me for being a stay-at-home dad.

与许多国家不同，印度是个男权国家，对此类问题十分保守。许多人看不起我，认为我是个小男人，并且认为我不应该继续这样了。一些人还会因为我做居家父亲而嘲笑我。

But I was happy that life gave me an opportunity to be with my son, so I grabbed it with both hands. Because, the true happiness one gets while caring for a child, remains with him or her forever.

然而我却很开心生活给了我这个使我能和儿子相处的机会，因此我紧紧抓住这个机会。因为一个人从照顾孩子中得到的真正快乐是可以持续一生的。

But, freelance work during that time had its limitations, and soon I had not much work, so I had to look for full time jobs. I got China Daily’s offer and after four months of confusion about whether or not to leave Yahya, I acceptedit in April.

但那时的自由职业有其局限性，很快我就没什么工作了，因此我必须去找全职工作。我得到了《中国日报》的入职通知，在纠结了四个月到底要不要离开叶海亚之后，我在四月份接受了这份工作。

When I took my flight to China, when I was leaving Yahya for the first time in eight months, I had spent more time with him than his mother. And the only regret I had was that I was not being able to bring my son with me. The time I had spent with him was the happiest time of my life.

当我飞去中国的时候，当八个月以来我第一次要离开叶海亚的时候，我和他在一起的时间比和他母亲在一起的时间还要多。唯一的遗憾便是我不能将儿子带子身边。与他共度的时光，是我这一生中最快乐的日子。

完成阅读

来源:英语新闻网站爱语吧作者:刘佳