Talking about the parenting traits that she has picked from her parents, Soha chuckled and shared, “It has to be impatience. I have the same level of patience as my mother!” Adding further, she said, “Also, my mom used to take interest in things and that’s how I have imbibed the habit of reading, which I am glad I have managed to pass on to Inaaya too. If you talk about my parenting style, I am a little bit of a control freak as well as competitive in my approach, however, these two traits are entirely my own.”
Three parenting rules that the actor tries to follow with her daughter are strict adherence to bedtime, limited screen time and a healthy diet. “Inaaya has to go to bed at 8pm and has to have fruits, vegetables and soaked almonds. Having said that no matter how hard you try, things get beyond control at times and you end up compromising on these rules.” That’s also when the mom’s guilt gets a relentless grip on you.
Soha feels while the mom’s guilt is pervasive among mothers, it is actually wrong to feel that way. “We moms need to understand that rearing a child is not a one person’s job. I hope that changes over generations. Women really need to work on not feeling guilty. Maybe we can learn something from men who never feel guilty.”
To manage a career and a toddler requires a lot of energy and Soha swears by eating a nutritious diet including carbs, protein and essential fats. “All my growing years my mom ensured we had our share of soaked almonds. It was deeply ingrained in us and I try to make this a healthy habit for Inaaya too. I find myself lucky that I love the taste of almonds and don’t need any coaxing to eat them. In fact every evening when my energy starts to drop as I am an early riser, I have a handful of almonds. That is also the time when I workout and it gives me that energy boost that’s needed. There are also times when you are handling so much and you skip meals, that’s also the perfect time to munch on healthy fats like almonds. I like them roasted with some salt sprinkled over them and they instantly make me feel satiated. They boost immunity and make my skin glow so it is a win-win situation.”
Not one to skip workouts, Soha shares, “I am blessed to have the ability to delegate things and to take time out to take care of myself by working out and I value that. Now the trick is to get it done as early as possible in the morning. It is important to have a regular workout time so everyone else also in the household knows that this is when you go away, especially when you have a young child. She also knows that this is when mumma goes away and does something whether it’s work or shooting or whatever, she knows now this is my exercise time, and she’s adjusted to that.”
Like most moms, Soha is enjoying the time she is spending with Inaaya due to the current pandemic and is ensuring they eat healthy and stay healthy!