Where in the world do you live? And, are you from there?

I live in New York, New York – a city so nice they had to name it twice!  I have always lived in New York City, although I grew up in Queens (one of the outer boroughs), I now live in Manhattan with my family.  The convenience to everything is really hard to beat!

What language(s) do you speak?

I am completely fluent in French and English, and can speak (although I can’t read or write) Hebrew.  As such I have been teaching these languages to my children. I speak only French to the kids, while my husband speaks English to them.

I take my son to Hebrew school where he has been learning words, as well as how to speak to my mother in Hebrew when we don’t want the kids to understand (trust me they will start to understand soon – they pick them up like sponges!).

When did you first become a mother?

I found out I was first pregnant with my son in March of 2006.  I truly believe that was the moment that I became a mother.  I started making sure to eat what my growing belly needed.  I stopped eating some of my favorite foods, like sushi and feta cheese, and concentrated on eating as much organic as possible.  Now that I have 2 children I have continued this trend, especially when it comes to their needs over my own (don’t we all?) and am proud to say that my children are healthy, happy and loved!

Are you a stay-at-home mom or do you work?

Unfortunately I work.  I am lucky, however to be able to work from home on Thursdays and have “mommy Fridays” to spend some alone time with my children.  I am also lucky to have my mother nearby, as she is the primary caregiver when I am not there.  Nobody else could take such good care of them without having given actual birth to them.

Why do you blog/write?

Seeing as I just started, I am not sure yet.  I got the urge, after reading such wonderful posts from the other mothers on WMB… all of a sudden posts started to form and develop in my head, and I felt that I needed to get it written down before it all disappeared.

How would you say that you are different from other mothers?

At the end of the day we are really all the same.  We all want what’s best for our children.  We all want them to be healthy and happy.  We all want to them to be loved.  The only difference is how we accomplish our common goal, and since each child is so different, then we would accomplish it differently for each child that we have.

What do you view as the challenges of raising a child in today’s world?

We live in New York City. That in itself is a challenge.  Unlike someone who lives in the suburbs, where the children could just run out to the back yard and play to get outside, we have to plan an ‘event’ for them to go to the playground to play.  There is also a lot of technology and entertainment around today, I find it difficult to not just give in and allow it to take over.  I try to limit the amount if TV, but then my son will switch to the portable DVD player, or an electronic toy instead.  It’s a balancing game (added to the city dwelling) that I feel we are playing every day.

Photo attributed to the author. 

Maman Aya (USA)

Maman Aya is a full-time working mother of 2 beautiful children, a son who is 6 and a daughter who is two. She is raising her children in the high-pressure city of New York within a bilingual and multi-religious home. Aya was born in Canada to a French mother who then swiftly whisked her away to NYC, where she grew up and spent most of her life. She was raised following Jewish traditions and married an Irish Catholic American who doesn’t speak any other language (which did not go over too well with her mother), but who is learning French through his children. Aya enjoys her job but feels “mommy guilt” while at work. She is lucky to have the flexibility to work from home on Thursdays and recently decided to change her schedule to have “mommy Fridays”, but still feels torn about her time away from her babies. Maman Aya is not a writer by any stretch of the imagination, but has been drawn in by the mothers who write for World Moms Blog. She looks forward to joining the team and trying her hand at writing!

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