If there is one thing a new mother knows as intimately as the cries of her own baby, it is the barrage of unsolicited advice aimed her way — although whether these unsought tips always comply with logic is a different matter altogether. Actor and besotted new mother Mariyam Nafees cannot comprehend the old-fashioned superstitious advice young women in Pakistan are faced with, and took to Instagram Stories to vent her anger.
“Mommas – listen to everyone, but do whatever you want,” instructed the Neem actor underneath a screenshot of a recent parenting post shared on the Pakistan’s women-only Facebook group, Soul Sisters.
“You know what’s best for your child,” continued Mariyam in a bid to uplift the fellow mothers amongst her fans and followers. “You’re the mother. You’re God-gifted when it comes to instincts. You do what you feel is right!”
The post in question that propelled Mariyam to vent reflected a Soul Sisters’ member’s experience of watching a new mother adhering to her mother-in-law’s parenting tips. The mother-in-law in the post had instructed the young mother to abstain from feeding her baby post-shower until her hair had dried, in compliance with what is presumably an old wives’ tale.
“Went to somebody’s house yesterday. The mother of the newborn was politely informed by the mother-in-law not to feed the baby because she took a bath and her hair was wet,” began the original poster. “The mother waited till her hair was dry and by that time, the infant was asleep with an empty tummy.”
Expressing her shock, the poster went on to lament, “Even in this era of AI, we are not changing,” lament. “May Allah make things easy for new brides and new moms, and may people learn the courtesy that the mom knows the needs of her child […] please act normal. Act human.”
Although taking screenshots from Soul Sisters is against the group’s rules, Mariyam maintained confidentiality by blacking out the poster’s identity before relating her own outrage at the cultural superstition still pervading throughout society, and the young women unable to take a stand.
“Read this and it kind of boiled my blood,” penned the actor. “The girl here stated some legit facts.
The post on Soul Sisters will have resonated with Mariyam in particular, who became a first-time mother in March with the birth of the son, Eesa, whom she shares with filmmaker husband Aman Ahmed.
Soul Sisters Pakistan provides a safe space for women to share their highs and lows with strangers in the hopes to either enlighten or lighten their load.
