The Blog
Saturday Sidebar: Is Your Bed a Family Bed?
For this week's Saturday Sidebar, our writers were asked, “Do you co-sleep or have your child(ren) sleep in their own room? If they sleep in their own room, did you do this from the start?” Check out what some of our World Moms had to say... Multitasking Mumma of...
TEXAS, USA: Having Twins: the Body Aftermath
I remember standing in the hospital bathroom hours after Bella was born, looking with total shock at the sagging skin my stomach had left. The bloat. The stretched out mess. I cried so hard, my hands gripping the sink as I tried to wrap my head around it all. I had no idea it was going to look like that. Or if it would ever change.
CHINA: Interview with Taryn
What do you view as the challenges of raising a child in today’s world?
By far the biggest challenge for me is the enormous expectation placed on women to be great mothers and wives, and at the same time to excel professionally. I often find myself having to choose between my job and my family, and really I am not entirely sure that I can (or even should be expected to) ‘have it all.’
KENYA: Are French Parents Really Superior?
A few days ago a good friend sent me this article provokingly titled “Why French Parenting is Superior” Maybe you’ve read it? I’m a bit out of the loop here in Western Kenya, but I’m assuming it’s getting a lot of attention because even my 24 year-old male colleague...
CANADA: My Mommymoon
I recently took a mommymoon. It was long overdue. Taking a break from the hustle and bustle of life and heading out for a luxurious spa weekend has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember. In fact, I couldn’t imagine anything more relaxing than taking the time to surround myself with soothing aromas, intoxicating music, and tranquil lighting all in one place.
AUSTRALIA: Tough on the Outside – Marshmallow on the Inside
It occurred to me today that there’s nothing quite as attractive as a ‘tough’ guy who responds to a young child’s enthusiasm. Today driving home from work I stopped at the traffic lights and watched as a mother steered her young daughter, who was probably three or...
NEW YORK, USA: Business Travel (With Children)
On Monday I am told, “you need to go to Paris for 3 days next week.” I say “OK”, but think, “How can I pull that one-off? I am still nursing!”
Travel Itinerary for the Week of February 27th!
This week, we visit four countries! We start in New York on Monday, where Maman Aya tells us about a business trip with a difference - she took along her two young children! Come read as she tells us how she juggled working and parenting far away from home. On...
Saturday Sidebar: What’s your phobia?
This week's Saturday Sidebar Question comes from World Moms Blog writer TwinMom112. She asked our writers, “Do you have any fears or phobias that you tried to overcome that are now present in your child/children?” Check out what some of our World Moms had to say......
CANADA: Breastfeeding
I love research. I think it comes as part of the "I-have-an-anxiety-disorder" package that I research things obsessively. Getting a dog? Buy ALL the dog books. Having a baby? Spend hundreds of hours trawling through research study abstracts. So when I saw a notice at...
KENYA: Interview with MamaMzungu
What do you view as the challenges of raising a child in today’s world?
I think the biggest challenge, and this is very much related to the last question, is that there are fewer guideposts and way too many debates. To Ferberize or co-sleep? To solely breastfeed or introduce formula? To spank or use time outs? Should we be Tiger moms or Free Range moms? It’s head spinning and there’s a lot of judgment no matter what you do.
UNITED KINGDOM: A Weekend in Norfolk
We had left London three hours ago. In the back seat baby Betty was entertaining herself by playing hide and seek. “One, two, three, comingreadyornot!” she shouted, snugly strapped in to her child seat. “Boo MummyDaddy!” She bubbled with laughter then gently subsided, turning her face up to her window to gaze at the thousands of stars above. No sodium street-lights here. My baby daughter, more used to pointing at the trains that pass along the bottom of our garden, was entranced by the massive constellations over her head.
SOUTH CAROLINA, USA: Giving the Whole Bathroom a Bath
My son is 7 1/2 and has been taking showers on his own for a while now. Recently, he has been taking baths. The last 3 times, he has completely soaked the bathroom. The floor was flooded, the counters were wet, and I just couldn’t imagine what he was doing in there.
SAUDI ARABIA: The Choice I Made
“The Arabic curriculum is a strong one. They also have Islamic studies.”
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: Mommy, Are We Rich?
“I wasn’t prepared, myself, for the way that wealth is on display here: that the Porsche Cayenne is basically the Chrysler mini-van of the Gulf;that the line of cars at school pickup looks like a luxury car dealership: Bentley, Porsche, Ferrari, Benz, BMW, Maybach. Women cloaked in black from head to toe swing Chanel bags the size of pigeon coops and their Laboutin soles gleam under the hem of their abayas.”
Travel Itinerary for the Week of February 20th!
Start off the week with World Moms Blog in the Middle East! Deborah Quinn (Mannahattamamma) in the United Arab Emirates describes, “I wasn’t prepared, myself, for the way that wealth is on display here: that the Porsche Cayenne is basically the Chrysler mini-van of...
Saturday Sidebar: Where do babies come from?
This week's Saturday Sidebar Question comes from World Moms Blog writer Maggie Ellison. She asked, “Where do babies come from, Mommy? Where are you with this question and how much have you explained?” Check out what some of our World Moms had to say... Mama B. of...
NEW JERSEY, USA: To Pump, Or Not To Pump?
“Shall I list a few comments from some of the men? “I heard a cow being pumped in the bathroom.” “Oooh, sounds like someone had some good vibration in there.” “Anyone need some milk?” And then there were all of the imitation buzzing and mooing noises the guys would constantly make as they walked by me later when I was sitting on the desk. Of course, being a “tough” girl working on the trading floor – I laughed off all of these comments. But truthfully, it was mortifying.”
SINGAPORE: Interview with MadPsychMum
What do you view as the challenges of raising a child in today’s world?
The pressure to push my child academically from a young age of 6 months old! I only started school at 5 years old and I have a masters degree! People in Singapore really want their kids to do well in school and start them on all sorts of enrichment lessons when they’re young. I mean, I’m totally not against letting your child go to school and learn (I’ll be sending her to school soon too) but sometimes some parents can go way overboard! Some of them will even compare schools, programs, etc and make you feel like you’re short-changing your child if you don’t send your child for the best programs. But I really don’t want to not let my child enjoy her childhood. That’s one of my other challenges raising children in academically-competitive Singapore.
SWITZERLAND: We Call It The “Terrible Two’s”
You do everything you can to distract them and pacify the screaming while the general public look on in amusement. God forbid there is a grandmother or older mom there because she might look at you with that look of “Oh my, that young mom…”
INDONESIA: The New World of “Help”
In preparation for the move, I browsed a few forums and found that “one of the greatest benefits and frustrations of living in Jakarta is having staff…For many newcomers to Jakarta, the thought of hiring household staff seems quite foreign – a luxury reserved for the fortunate few. In Jakarta, however, having household staff is a part of everyday life for Indonesians and foreigners alike.”
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