by travelladywithbaby | Aug 14, 2012 | Education, Human Rights, Humanity, The Advocates of Human Rights, United Nations, Women's Rights, World Moms Blog, World Voice
This is a little thing I like to call a simple backgrounder. I had the pleasure of working for Canada’s Foreign Affairs on a UN file. I always liked to say that I was always with one foot in two worlds: one international, and the other the domestic (both being intrinsically important to further the other).
The United Nations is actually one of the most complex governing structures in the world. For those of us who have had the opportunity to work for the U.N., we realize just how mind numbingly confusing it can be to explain it. What many seem to forget, is just how very new Human Rights is, and what it consists of, and just how slow the U.N. seems to work, and why. (more…)
Travel Lady with Baby has never had two feet in one city for long, growing up as a diplomatic kid, bouncing around from one country to another became the norm. Born in Canada, but never feeling Canadian, rather a Hodge Podge of cultures and traditions, Mandarin was her first language, not English, and Spanish still comes out of her mouth when trying to speak French.
Travel Lady with Baby declared to her Father that a career in the U.N was her future, but settled for a career at Foreign Affairs on an intense U.N file. After several years of non-stop travel, and having never put up a picture on the wall, she and her husband threw caution to the wind and moved to Vancouver, B.C. to work on an Olympic file.
Vancouver brought, a dog, a baby boy and a life-altering event that changed everything. It was this event that made Travel Lady with Baby and her husband realize that Vancouver had run its course, so, naturally it was time to embark on another adventure.
Packing everything into a small storage space and giving up their condo, they got on a plane for two months to travel with their son. For the first time, they breathed, got perspective, became present as parents and realized what they wanted. Landing back in Vancouver solidified a business plan and a move to a small town in Quebec.
Now running a Sustainable Consulting and Promotions Company with her husband, re-learning French (yes, you do lose it if you don't use it), waking up to a toddler that has more energy than a soccer team, juggling clients, a household, research and marketing, and squeezing in blogging about travel has been nothing but exhilarating.
It is very likely that there is another move and way more travel in the near future, but at least this time, they finally put pictures up on the walls. Check out her personal blog, Travel Lady with Baby.
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by Roxanne (USA) | Aug 14, 2012 | Kids, Motherhood, Parenting, Rox is Brilliant, Single Mother, Unintentionally Brilliant, USA, World Motherhood, Younger Children
My 5-year-old son has been making a lot of comments lately about my relationship with my boyfriend. He has asked him – a few times – if he’ll be his stepdad. He’s mentioned the boyfriend moving in with us. He’s trying to make this relationship move forward a lot quicker than I’m comfortable with.
The thing is, I’ve never lived by myself. I went from my parent’s home to roommates in the dorm; from apartments with friends to an apartment with a boyfriend, and finally, to a condo with my husband. When my ex-husband moved out, it was the closest I got to living by myself. I was a joint custody single mom, so I lived with my son half the time, but there was still that time when it was just me. Even when I became a sole custody single mom, I never let go of that feeling of living “on my own,” even if I was never actually alone.
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Roxanne is a single mother to a 9-year-old superhero (who was born 7 weeks premature), living in the biggest little city and blogging all about her journey at Unintentionally Brilliant. She works as a Program Coordinator for the NevadaTeach program at the University of Nevada, Reno. Roxanne has a B.A. in English from Sierra Nevada College. She has about 5 novels in progress and dreams about completing one before her son goes to high school.
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by Ms. V. (South Korea) | Aug 13, 2012 | Motherhood, Parenting, Single Mother, South Korea, World Motherhood
The month of May in Korea is “family month” and includes Children’s Day and Parents’ Day (as well as Teachers’ Day and Buddha’s birthday). It’s a celebratory time here, especially as it coincides with the mild temperatures and blossoms of spring. These last two years the month of May has also included a much quieter celebration – Single Mothers Day.
To be a single mother in Korea is no small thing. Women who find themselves pregnant out of wedlock are often pressured by their friends and family to have an abortion or to give up their child for adoption. 90% of children who are adopted from Korea are born to single mothers and, unlike in the West, the majority of unwed pregnant mothers in Korea are over the age of 25. The women who choose to keep their children and raise them as single parents are very few and the discrimination they face is astonishing to someone like me who is not from here.
The shame associated with unwed motherhood is not just the burden of the woman to bear. Her parents, her siblings, and her child are all subjected to it as well. It is often kept a secret for as long as possible since the repercussions of people knowing can be dire, including loss of job, home, and social status. Many of these women can no longer live with their families, as is the custom, the disgrace and shame is so great.
This is so interesting to me, coming from a country whose president was raised by a single mother. Single parenthood is by no means considered ideal in the West, but no person, politician or otherwise, would dream of speaking ill of mothers who are working hard to raise a family on their own without fear of immense (and well-deserved) backlash, the prevailing sentiment being: Don’t they have it hard enough? (more…)
Ms. V returned from a 3-year stint in Seoul, South Korea and is now living in the US in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her partner, their two kids, three ferocious felines, and a dog named Avon Barksdale. She grew up all over the US, mostly along the east coast, but lived in New York City longer than anywhere else, so considers NYC “home.” Her love of travel has taken her all over the world and to all but four of the 50 states.
Ms. V is contemplative and sacred activist, exploring the intersection of yoga, new monasticism, feminism and social change. She is the co-director and co-founder of Samdhana-Karana Yoga: A Healing Arts Center, a non-profit yoga studio and the spiritual director for Hab Community. While not marveling at her beautiful children, she enjoys reading, cooking, and has dreams of one day sleeping again.
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by World Moms Blog | Aug 12, 2012 | World Moms Blog Itinerary
On Monday we will be in South Korea, where Ms. V talks about what it’s like to be a single mother there. It’s an interesting insight into the cultural impacts not only to the mother, but to the child and the mother’s entire family.
On Tuesday, we continue the discussion about single parenthood in Nevada, where Roxanne’s son seems to be very accepting of her boyfriend. A little bit too accepting, perhaps? Roxanne contemplates what it would mean if her current relationship were to become “the one”.
Later that day, we head to Canada where Travel Lady with Baby, who formerly worked for the Canadian Foreign Service on an UN file, gives us insight into the United Nations and human rights in our World Voice column. World Voice is a new column, which combines our posts on social good and human rights!
On Wednesday, we are off to New Zealand, where you are bound to be near water, no matter where you are. Karyn van der Zwet regards swimming as an essential life skill, one that she wants her children to have as second nature.
On Thursday, we have a guest post! Holly Pavlika of MOMentum in New York describes her daughter’s experiences with being bullied, and how she, as a parent, has handled it. She also offers some great safety tips that we can use for the benefit of our own kids.
On Friday, we head to Massachusetts, where Kyla P’an talks about a question of identity. What is it like for this generation of moms to find out who they are, or who they’ve become, after raising children?
On Saturday, check out the Saturday Sidebar with Eva Fannon, where the World Moms give their thoughts on an important topic, and chime in with your answers to this week’s question!
Starting today we have a new giveaway!! Comment on our site this week from August 12-August 19th to receive a beautiful pair of baby booties from Canada! They are just perfect for a mother planning to deliver this fall or winter! Booties were donated by our Canadian contributor, Travel Lady with Baby!
— World Moms Blog
Our World Moms Blog logo was designed by the creative Erica Joyner Designs in Virginia, USA.
This World Moms Blog Travel Itinerary is written by Kirsten Doyle @ Running For Autism
World Moms Blog is an award winning website which writes from over 30 countries on the topics of motherhood, culture, human rights and social good. Over 70 international contributors share their stories from around the globe, bonded by the common thread of motherhood and wanting a better world for their children.
World Moms Blog was listed by Forbes Woman as one of the "Best 100 Websites for Women 2012 & 2013" and also called a "must read" by the NY Times Motherlode in 2013. Our Senior Editor in India, Purnima Ramakrishnan, was awarded the BlogHer International Activist Award in 2013.
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by World Moms Blog | Aug 11, 2012 | Being Thankful, Child Care, Eva Fannon, Kids, Life Balance, Saturday Sidebar, Scoops of Joy, Truly Rich Mom, Working Mother
This week’s Saturday Sidebar Question comes from World Moms Blog writer The Alchemist. We know that in reality, all moms are “working” moms, but she is wondering…
“Are you a stay-at-home mom, a working mom, or a work from home mom? Do you want to make the switch now or someday in future? Why or why not?”
Check out what some of our World Moms had to say…
Lady E of Indonesia writes:
“I am a working single mother. I struggle, on a daily basis, to find the balance between meeting the needs of my son and my job while still trying to care for myself in the process. I am incredibly lucky because my son is a student in the wonderful International school where I teach, so I get to see him throughout the day. While I have always yearned for the opportunity to be able to focus only on my son, I know that I derive a great deal of fulfillment from my work. While the grass does often look greener on the stay-at-home Mom side, I cannot imagine my life any other way.” (more…)
World Moms Blog is an award winning website which writes from over 30 countries on the topics of motherhood, culture, human rights and social good. Over 70 international contributors share their stories from around the globe, bonded by the common thread of motherhood and wanting a better world for their children.
World Moms Blog was listed by Forbes Woman as one of the "Best 100 Websites for Women 2012 & 2013" and also called a "must read" by the NY Times Motherlode in 2013. Our Senior Editor in India, Purnima Ramakrishnan, was awarded the BlogHer International Activist Award in 2013.
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