No Strings ATTACHED

Seema's day began with the familiar symphony of sleepless nights, crying twins, the sticky chaos of diaper changes, and the frantic scramble to get breakfast on the table.

- by Ankur R. Gupta

Motherhood had put her career on hold, a temporary pause that felt like an eternity.

Meanwhile, Rohan, her husband, once her rock, seemed distant, lost in the demands of work and the overwhelming changes at home. He'd come home late and collapse on the bed, muttering, "Long day." It felt like she was raising three children, not two.

It's been eight months since they had Twins, and life has become a whirlpool, leaving no time for each other. Whatever little time they had, they discussed kids, chores, and bills, ending in disagreements. All this was drifting them apart and leaving Seema desperately lonely and frustrated.

One such day, she came across a digital chatting app called No Strings Attached, where she could vent her heart to strangers without being judged. She impulsively downloaded the app and created a TiredMOM profile but didn't use it.

It became a digital ghost until the day the chaos reached a fever pitch, and she desperately needed an outlet. With a weary thumb, she opened the app and logged in. Her fingers flew across the keyboard, typing a question that had been burning in her mind: "What's it REALLY like being a parent?"

Almost instantly, a reply appeared, and the username CRUSHED was glowing on the screen. "It's like being a zookeeper…" CRUSHED typed, a laughing emoji appearing through the words, "… except the animals are smaller, louder, and demand snacks every five minutes."

Seema burst into loud laughter. "Finally, someone understood," she murmured. An instant spark ignited between the two, and they messaged back and forth, sharing the joys and frustrations of parenthood. Their words were a comforting balm on the raw edges of their days. Gradually, their friendship moved to sharing their personal lives, where they discussed their respective spouses being indifferent since they had kids.