Mother’s Day is here! Read about the changing role of the mother in our society. What’s Cinco de Mayo without a Mexican feast? Find out what we are doing. Also, how necessary is your friends’ approval to date a girl and how to control a meeting! Jump in…

The changing economy has also changed the dynamics of the family. The mother is now confidently striding across boardrooms. The need for mothers to do this is not just to add another earning member to the family. The modern woman realizes that identity is of the utmost importance. They feel that the time has come for them to take their roles and responsibilities more seriously. If they were prioritizing home over office, they have discontinued to do so. Kids feel thankful toward their mother when she is around because they know that their mother is busy and all they can get is quality time. Mothers are not really feeling guilty about leaving their kids at home because mothers understand that they are working for their kids as well.

Even in the confines of the four walls, a modern mother is different from the earlier generation. Moms are no longer yelling at their kids for incomplete homeworks and unclean rooms. Rather, they are now therapists, keeping their cool and reasoning with their kids. Mothers of today attach importance to the opinion of the kids, even if they are too young to offer so. The idea is to make them independent and rational. The modern mother is not trying to strike a balance between work and home anymore. A mother is more of a friend and the equation is now between being firm and loving at the same time. You can still take her stuff once in a while, but you got to ask for her permission! But whatever role the mother plays, it’s never enough to be thankful.

Having a sous chef as a friend has its privileges! Megan was working at a Mexican restaurant for some time now. And every weekend we went out partying, we would remind her that we are expecting a Cinco de Mayo treat! Finally the time has come for her to live up to a promise. Megan invited all of us to her place for a Cinco de Mayo feast. Being the gluttons that we are, we went around asking Megan what the menu would be. Megan kept us on tenterhooks. Finally Megan gave it out. Megan would be making Shrimp Enchiladas Verde, Shrimp Veracruzana and Grilled Salmon Soft Tacos! Megan told us, “I chose no-nonsense dishes because I seriously don’t have the time to prepare an elaborate meal!”

Suits us fine! We are really looking forward to the day. The primary reason is the food, of course. But there are other sides to this, too. Megan was under a bad bout of depression with things not working out in her personal life. This will be the occasion where Megan can keep herself busy because she happens to be the hostess. As for us, we know that Megan would plan everything to the T. Kate, who’s always ready to help Megan out with her presence and advice, offered to help her prepare. But Megan brushed it aside saying, “I will play solo this time around!” We couldn’t be happier. Watch this space next week for the update on this story.

When Steve stopped dating a girl called Chloe, I was worried. It was only a few days back when we had told him that Chloe didn’t suit him. We as in our friends. Steve heard us out and though he made no comment then, his action was not delayed. Now, we assume here that Steve saw sense in what we were talking. But we cannot rule out the other possibility on close introspection. What if Steve felt bogged down by peer pressure? Did he quit going around with Chloe because that would make him look bad with his friends? It would certainly be awkward for Steve to bring her along to hang out with us when he knows we don’t like her to be around.

This thought bothered me for days. Finally I decided to walk over to his cubicle to talk about it. I explained my reservations as diplomatically as I could. Steve again heard me out. Then he said, “I trust you guys!” I knew that, of course, but still I felt that talking it out makes more sense than leave that thread of uncertainty. Frankly, if a friend dates someone who’s cohesive and at loggerheads with the rest of the friend circle, maintaining peace would be really tough. This is hard to explain exactly how, but if you have been in a similar situation, you would know. Of course, if you are not really interested to mix your love life and friendship, you will have it peaceful but find it hard to manage time!

Meetings have become an indispensable part of our schedules. You can’t do without them. You may grumble, you may complain that it cuts into your work time, but there’s no escape from meetings. Some colleagues break a sweat when they have to attend a meeting. There are many who cannot handle them. They say that there are a lot of reading between the lines in meetings. They are not further from the truth. The sometimes murky world of boardrooms do throw up stench now and then. You have to cope with it. The best way to do that would be to take the control of proceedings, as Ryan told a hapless co-worker the other day.

Ryan’s advice is to be diplomatic and patronizing. Ryan said, “When you say something like ‘You have done a great job, Max!’, you are actually putting yourself in a position to judge and appreciate Max!” That is food for thought, definitely! Ryan’s other killer example was saying something like, “I can see why you are saying that!” Ryan feels that by saying so, you are making it subtly clear that you have already covered the point that is being made and now you are thinking beyond it at a much higher level. These are all communication techniques that Ryan feels will work wonders for anyone who feels compromised in meetings. Try them, they may just work for you!

This edition had to end with a Mother’s Day quote. This one is by Roseanne Barr: “There’s a lot more to being a woman than being a mother, but there’s a hell a lot more to being a mother than most people suspect.”