CANADA: The Dark Side of Maternity Benefit

CANADA: The Dark Side of Maternity Benefit

In 2001, the federal Parental Benefits Program in Canada increased the length of sharable paid parental leave benefits from 10 to 35 weeks, combined with 15 weeks of maternity leave.

My children were born in 1997 and 1999; I did not plan to have anymore children. I figured words like “parental leave” and “maternity benefits” were not a part of my future, or so, I thought.

In the September edition of Canadian Business magazine Jasmine Budak wrote an interesting article about the ”dark side” of maternity leave, here, in Canada. In it, Budak highlights some of the difficulties that (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.

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INDONESIA: Saying I Love You

Growing up in Indonesia, I don’t really remember hugs, cuddles and the like. Yes, of course, there was the dutiful kiss on the cheek once in a while that felt more like a custom. It is not in our culture to say “I love you.

In their own way, I know my parents love me and my brothers. We, the children, tended to show our love with actions, such as paying respect to our parents, never arguing or talking back and being, pretty much, good kids.

Our upbringing was laden with disciplines ala Dutch style. My parents were stern and

(more…)

Maureen

Founder of Single Moms Indonesia, community leader and builder. Deeply passionate about women empowerment.

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CANADA: I Will Never Sleep Again…

Her tiny legs wavered under her, unsure, unsteady.

Still chubby with baby rolls, she crouched frozen and uncertain, not ready to trust her balance and our encouraging claps.

I felt my heart flutter as I remember the newborn baby she once was. Her smell, her sweet snuggles, her soft cheeks.

It seemed like only yesterday. (more…)

ISRAEL: Sorry Means Nothing

ISRAEL: Sorry Means Nothing

“You’re not coming out of your room until you apologize.”
“You need to say you’re sorry.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it.”

How many times have those lines been used on us or have we used them on our kids?

I think the word sorry has become a habit. We use it too fast and too casually. We do something we shouldn’t have, and we instinctively say “I’m sorry”. We see that we hurt or insulted someone, we say “I’m sorry.” Our kids do things we think are wrong and we make them say “I’m sorry.”

The question is how often do we really think about what we have done? (more…)

Susie Newday (Israel)

Susie Newday is a happily-married American-born Israeli mother of five. She is an oncology nurse, blogger and avid amateur photographer. Most importantly, Susie is a happily married mother of five amazing kids from age 8-24 and soon to be a mother in law. (Which also makes her a chef, maid, tutor, chauffeur, launderer...) Susie's blog, New Day, New Lesson, is her attempt to help others and herself view the lessons life hands all of us in a positive light. She will also be the first to admit that blogging is great free therapy as well. Susie's hope for the world? Increasing kindness, tolerance and love. You can also follow her Facebook page New Day, New Lesson where she posts her unique photos with quotes as well as gift ideas.

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NEW YORK, USA: To Wean or Not to Wean? That is the Question!

My baby’s turned 1… I should say my last baby’s turned one.

I only have 2, but will not attempt to have any more after this.  Making the decision of having the first 2 was very difficult for me, since there are some genetic issues at play in my family.

I told my then fiancée, while we were discussing future family plans, to be prepared to adopt, that I will probably not have my own children.

I had prepared for that my entire life and was sure that I would never carry and give birth to my own child.  After running tests and having discussions with geneticists, we decided to tempt fate and ‘go for it’ — attempt to have our own, and hope for the best.  I had an amnio, monthly and then weekly ultrasounds.  (more…)

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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Saturday Sidebar: In five years, I want to…

Saturday Sidebar: In five years, I want to…

This week’s Saturday Sidebar Question comes from World Moms Blog writer Maggie Ellison.  She wanted our writers to look ahead and asked them to finish this sentence,

“In five years, I want to …..”

Read on to see how some of our World Moms responded.

Dr. Lanham of Arizona, USA writes:
“In five years I will be impacting lives by being a syndicated columnist managing my family’s careers all while owning and running my teen nonprofit Hodge Podge the Teen Cafe™.” (more…)

World Moms Blog

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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