This week Amy Hillis of Ohio, USA asks our World Moms Blog writers:
We celebrate the holiday of Thanksgiving in the USA today. Do those of us outside the USA celebrate a similar Thanksgiving Day? And, for everyone who does celebrate, is this holiday a time of reflection on the things you are thankful for, or is it purely historical?
Here is how our writers answered… (more…)
Five and a half years ago, my husband and I found out we were pregnant with our first child, and we were ecstatic. There was so much planning to do. We had to decide on a name for a girl and one for a boy since we chose not to find out what we were having. We had to figure out how long we could afford for me to stay at home with the baby, and what we would do for childcare once I returned to work.
We had to assess whether or not our cars were appropriate for a newborn and all of the items they require (which, by the way, one totally wasn’t). And, one of the major decisions we had to make was whether or not we would circumcise our baby if we had a boy. (more…)
When we moved to England, my daughter, Emily, started year 5 (equivalent to the 4th grade in the United States). She also entered her fourth school in 4 years. This didn’t make changing schools any easier for her this time though. My husband is in the Royal Navy, but all of this moving around has nothing to do with the military, just from us wanting to see the world and moving around.
Prior to moving to England I was a single, working mom, who wanted nothing but the best education for my, then, only child. I believe an education is the best gift we can give our children. With that in mind, I had to find a suitable school for my daughter. I also had to do it from abroad because we were living in Oman in the Middle East at the time.
I scoured the internet, called and asked questions, read reports, called and asked more questions, waited for and reviewed prospectus’, and finally, narrowed it down to two schools: one government school and one independent, boarding school. (more…)
When I was a child, I despised the fact that my parents often said to me, “Veronica, don’t get your hopes up.” They said this to me a lot, and it made me angry. I felt that they didn’t want me to be happy, or didn’t want me to get whatever I was wishing so hard for. But, now that I am a parent, I’m beginning to understand why they felt the need to say this phrase in particular.
As parents, they couldn’t bear to see me so disappointed when I wished so high for something that they couldn’t provide, was impractical or that I couldn’t achieve. They loved me too much. But, I never heeded the call. I continued to live my life with my hopes up, and I created much disappointment to myself and created worry for my parents.
Growing up in New Jersey, USA, we were considered a low-income household back then. But, I had large hopes and dreams. The younger I was, these hopes were made up more of material items, and the older I became, they were more along the lines of opportunities or experiences.
Jennifer Burden is the Founder and CEO of World Moms Network, an award winning website on global motherhood, culture, human rights and social good. World Moms Network writes from over 30 countries, has over 70 contributors and was listed by Forbes as one of the “Best 100 Websites for Women”, named a “must read” by The New York Times, and was recommended by The Times of India. She was also invited to Uganda to view UNICEF’s family health programs with Shot@Life and was previously named a “Global Influencer Fellow” and “Social Media Fellow” by the UN Foundation. Jennifer was invited to the White House twice, including as a nominated "Changemaker" for the State of the World Women Summit. She also participated in the One Campaign’s first AYA Summit on the topic of women and girl empowerment and organized and spoke on an international panel at the World Bank in Washington, DC on the importance of a universal education for all girls. Her writing has been featured by Baby Center, Huffington Post, ONE.org, the UN Foundation’s Shot@Life, and The Gates Foundation’s “Impatient Optimists.” She is currently a candidate in Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs in the Executive Masters of Public Affairs program, where she hopes to further her study of global policies affecting women and girls. Jennifer can be found on Twitter @JenniferBurden.
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Start off the week on Monday with World Moms Blog in New Jersey, USA, where Veronica Samuels, is back to reflect on life, parenting and not always getting what you want. It’s a must read and just in time, if you are planning to do any holiday shopping for the kids!
Tuesday, we cross the Atlantic again to check in with our resident British Navy wife and mom, Jenny Warren, in England, UK! Wednesday, meet us back in New Jersey, USA, where our Basque heritage queen, Kally Mocho, writes about her tough decision on male circumcision.
Thursday is the holiday of Thanksgiving in the USA. We will post our question for our WMB writers about the traditions involved. Friday, we’re headed up to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA, where our world-class homeschooling mom, Courtney Cappallo, reflects on her child’s infamous nickname and her brand new milestone!
And, don’t miss the last of III parts of Maggie Ellison’s “Too Loud” series on special needs of the “Special Saturday Edition” we’ve been running from the low country of South Carolina, USA!
In news this week, we’ve added two new writers to our blog! Shaula Bellour will be writing from the country of East Timor, and Margie Bryant will be writing from the state of Arkansas, USA.
Also, we’ve hit over 100 fans of World Moms Blog on Facebook! We grow by word of mouth. Do you know someone who might be interested in reading or writing for our blog? Please pass on our link or suggest friends for us on Facebook!
We have many great reflections this week. So, buckle your seat belts and log in for another exciting journey with our World Moms Blog writers!
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