As a single mom, I’ve happily tweaked my choices in life: Shital Shah

Actor and director Shital Shah, who is a single mom, believes in living life to the fullest. Her world of joy revolves around her little daughter

Serena

, whom she adopted three years ago. By choosing to be a single mom, Shital has pushed boundaries, given age-old stereotypes a miss and in the process, she has given hope and support to many. On

Mother’s Day

, Shital talks about her exciting journey and how seeing her daughter growing up has changed her as a person. Excerpts:

‘Now I see the world through my daughter’s eyes’
My journey as a mother has been the most unexpected. Serena, my three-year-old daughter, can easily be termed as my teacher too. Seeing her reacting to the world around her is pure magic. Relooking at the world through her eyes is like discovering a whole new world around me. Yes, every day I learn new things about life and the world around us from her. So, I can happily say that she is introducing the world to me. Thanks to motherhood, my life has taken a 360-degree turn. Nothing remains the same. I have been learning

Hindustani classical music

for the last six months. Now, Serena has also started humming. We are doing things together and this is the most fulfilling experience of my life.

‘During the pandemic, we got time to explore things at home’

The pandemic made me spend uninterrupted time with Serena. So, I am really grateful for having that time. It gave us time to explore new things at home. We would spend hours in our garden; sometimes we would just collect little stones and flowers. Spending time together was a very nourishing experience for me.

‘Being a single mom is a blessing; it saves me from differences of opinion’

Serena is my top priority now. Yes, life is definitely different now. Being a single mom is a blessing in many ways. It saves me from clashes and differences of opinion. She is my responsibility and all the decisions pertaining to her upbringing are mine. Of course, I have a lot of support at home. My mother and sister are my pillars of strength and they really support me a lot. I would not like to have it any other way.

‘I have happily made changes in my life now'

Till Serena came into my life, I owned my time. Now, it is a different story. My choices are different. Even my conversations with my friends are scheduled in advance. But I am not complaining as I believe strongly in the process of learning. Learning new things really helps me in adding more to myself. Everything I do or deeply engage with is not for Serena. I concentrate on self-development and while doing so, I try to involve Serena too. I have tweaked my choices in life after Serena’s arrival and I am happy about those choices. But the best part is that in the last three years, I have grown professionally as well. On a lighter note, I must add that I sleep less now but I am fine with it.

‘Adopting a child is all about embracing love’

As I have adopted Serena, many people come to me now and they share their fears with me. In my own ways, I try to help them by sharing my experiences. I am happy that two of my friends are in the process of adopting. All that I can say is that it is wonderful to embrace love in life and adopting a child is all about embracing love.