The Blog
World Voice: Feeling like Wonder Woman
“Has anyone ever told you that you look like a young Lynda Carter?” an older man asked me in a park. I was in my 20s at the time. “Yes, actually,” I replied. “Thank you.” I smiled and walked on. It wasn’t the first time I heard that comment. A few people likened me to...
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: Beach Bodies
I live in a country where it’s bathing-suit season all year. As a woman “of a certain age,” as they say in France, that fact does not exactly fill me with joy. My bathing suits tend to be utilitarian affairs, more designed for walking along the shore than glamorous...
WORLD VOICE: The Convention On The Rights Of The Child
When we become parents, we make a promise to our children that we will do everything in our power to protect them and to help them learn, grow and thrive. But did you know that the world has made a similar promise to all children to protect and promote their rights...
POLAND: What I Didn’t Expect: When The Kids Go to School
A little over a year ago, I posted an article on WMN that announced all of my hopes and dreams for when my kids go to school. I talked about the things I wanted to do, the things I had been planning to do and put on hold for awhile, the freedom and the feeling of...
USA: Raising a Bilingual Child While Losing My Accent
I’ve served as a judge at some local children’s Chinese-language speech and recitation contests on several occasions. I still remember my first time. I saw a little boy in a suit and tie, speaking with a crisp voice, saying, “Summer is my favorite season because the...
World Voice: Education is the Best Inheritance
“Survival of the fittest” is how Patrick Makokoro jokingly described his childhood with a smile, only he wasn’t exactly joking. A handsome father with a friendly and earnest demeanor, Patrick is an early childhood education activist in Zimbabwe. He came to my...
ISRAEL: What Do You Have To Lose?
Fear is a funny thing. It prevents you from trying, it quiets the cries of your dreams and it stifles endless possibilities. We spend days, months and years of our lives afraid to try new unknown things, afraid we might fail and worried about the what...
SCOTLAND: Raising Children To Be Happier Adults
I read an article recently which claimed that happier adults have been raised by parents who were less psychologically controlling and more caring. The study at the University of Edinburgh found that people whose parents showed warmth and responsiveness had higher...
USA: Hiking with Kids
We are approaching summer in my part of the world, which means prime hiking season! I hike with my two boys all year round, but I love this time of year when things are a bit less wet. We live along the Cascade Mountain Range, so there is no shortage of amazing vistas...
World Voice: Moms+SocialGood Summit Address the Importance of Vaccines
When you’ve gone to a few Summits like I have, you start to wonder if you’ll be as inspired as you were previously. This past Moms+SocialGood Summit on May 4th definitely proved that out. Going on their 5th year, Moms+SocialGood Summit continues to raise awareness...
SOUTH AFRICA: What is Love?
What is love? I believe that each one of us understands "love" differently. Our upbringing has a lot to do with the way we show our love to others, and in the way we interpret loving gestures. Sometimes this leads to hurt feelings and misunderstandings. In this era of...
WORLD VOICE: Go #Lunchless To Fight Child Hunger
Save The Children has launched the #Lunchless campaign this month to help raise awareness of the severe growing hunger crisis in East Africa. The world needs to act now to save the nearly 20 million lives that are at risk in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, and...
ENGLAND: Helping Your Anxious Child
One of my twin daughters has always been a worrier, she is one of those children who feel the weight of the world on their shoulders and she wants to know and understand everything. This can be particularly difficult for her as she is dyslexic and this means she...
USA: Returning to Myself in Paris
Just last week, I found myself in Paris, France. I was about to meet my niece, who was studying abroad, but I gave myself an extra first day on my own. I made plans with our contributor in Paris, Marie Kléber, whom I didn't know very well, but whom I was so excited to...
WORLD VOICE: New Year, Same You
I’m not big on New Year’s resolutions. There are always things I’m working on, especially as a mother – less yelling, more cuddling; less rushing, more patience; less rigidity, more flexibility – but these feel ongoing and the work of a lifetime, rather than something...
NEW ZEALAND: The Oppression of Expectation
As a new mum, I quickly realised that I wasn't capable of meeting my baby's needs, staying alive/sane myself, and having a clean house and the garden the way I would like it. I'm not sure if that's just me or if it was my baby (eventually three babies) or the way I...
TANZANIA: Terrible Thirties – A Tale of Separation Anxiety
My Name is Nancy and I am experiencing, after more than six years of motherhood, a terrible case of separation anxiety. We are used to our toddlers give us hell with this - it is, after all, expected during the terrible twos. But you may call mine a case of the...
World Voice: Kindness Matters
My daughters and I recently started watching a new Netflix series called “The Kindness Diaries”. This documentary-style series follows a man, Leon, who travels around the world simply relying on the kindness of strangers. And, he finds kindness in the most desperate...
CANADA: 9/11 – Where Do I Begin?
Where do I begin to describe the horror that I shared with the world on September 11, 2001? It was a horror so big that at first, I refused to believe it. Planes deliberately flying into buildings? A terrorist attack against the United States? It had to be a hoax....
World Voice: They Just Shine
My 5-year old son has a new and urgent interest in Star Wars. It’s fascinating to listen to the connections he is making between the current political climate in the United States and these iconic films that explore themes of power, justice, friendship, love,...
FRANCE: One Day…
One day, I’ll be able to say: “I left because he was killing me softly”. And I would be able to tell people, without feeling my heart racing, without thinking I should not say things like this, that he was a mistake. But a mistake that gave me the chance to see the...
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