CANADA: Token Brown Kid

Diversity in human appearance has been one of the most intriguing things that we have all come across. In my house I hate and do not use the term race with my children, because it is so obscured, and demeaning. Instead, I try as best as I can to always speak about people as individuals, rather than their group or nationality…it’s hard work.

Amira has very slanted eyes, Iman looks just like my aunt (but still resembles me) and Rainbow looks more like hubby.

Often random people come up to us and ask, “are those your children?” I say,”yes”, and hope that they will leave it at that, BUT 90 % of the time, they don’t.

The next question is, “are they all yours?” (more…)

Salma (Canada)

An Imperfect Stepford Wife is what Salma describes herself as because she simply cannot get it right. She loves decorating, travelling, parenting,learning, writing, reading and cooking, She also delights in all things mischievous, simply because it drives her hubby crazy. Salma has 2 daughters and a baby boy. The death of her first son in 2009 was very difficult, however, after the birth of her Rainbow baby in 2010 (one day after her birthday) she has made a commitment to laugh more and channel the innocence of youth through her children. She has blogged about her loss, her pregnancy with Rainbow, and Islamic life. After relocating to Alberta with her husband in 2011 she has found new challenges and rewards- like buying their first house, and finding a rewarding career. Her roots are tied to Jamaica, while her hubby is from Yemen. Their routes, however, have led them to Egypt and Canada, which is most interesting because their lives are filled with cultural and language barriers. Even though she earned a degree in Criminology, Salma's true passion is Social Work. She truly appreciates the beauty of the human race. She writes critical essays on topics such as feminism and the law, cultural relativity and the role of women in Islam and "the veil". Salma works full-time, however, she believes that unless the imagination of a child is nourished, it will go to waste. She follows the philosophy of un-schooling and always finds time to teach and explore with her children. From this stance, she pushes her children to be passionate about every aspect of life, and to strive to be life-long learners and teachers. You can read about her at Chasing Rainbow.

More Posts - Website