Traveling is the Biggest Learning Experience You Can Give Little Kids

Traveling is the Biggest Learning Experience You Can Give Little Kids

by with 10 Comments BilingualkidsEmpowermentStay at HomeTravel

Dealing with all of the end of the school year craziness have had me wanting to escape to a remote island, just my husband and I, far away from the chaos of last minute meetings with teachers, exams and next school year’s supply shopping. I’m exhausted. And I want a break from my children.

Well, I wanted to have a brake from them, until I realized how many summers I have left with them. Then it hit me. There is not so much time left, not so many holidays to be enjoyed all together, new places to explore and new cultures to learn. 

I felt sad. Somehow empty. 

Could it be possible to feel the emptiness of our nest with the kids still in there?

I am the mother of three intelligent and overachiever teenagers. They keep me on my toes. They keep me crazy “running around with mismatched socks” busy with all the activities, outings and adolescence related questions they ask. We have a very strong relationship and I feel very proud of it. Thinking about all this makes me crave more time with them. And I’m talking about quality AND quantity time. Those moments when we are so closed to each other that I can hug and kiss them within milliseconds with no adverse reaction coming from them. My “hen” mom instincts kicking in. 

Due to all these feelings I decided to share with you my reasons why you should travel with your children NOW! Not later, not when they are older, but now!

Odense, Denmark

Every single trip made with your offsprings is a wonderful opportunity to create memories. You will be laying your family’s emotional foundations. Every minute spent far away from home would be a reminder of how being together is the most important thing well above familiar objects, rooms, and other material gadgets. 

Is it expensive? Yes, it is. 

Is it time consuming? Yes, it is. 

Is it a roller coaster of emotions? Yes, it is. 

Is it worth the try? YES, IT IS! 

So let’s get ready for this emotional ride, because I am here to inspire you! You will feel confused, you will believe some of my reason for traveling with kiddos, you won’t accept some of them. That’s just fine. My goal is to wake your curiosity up and encourage you to give traveling with children a try. 

Why should I travel with my kids when they are still little?

Learning at its best

Children learn by observing, hearing and doing. Traveling is a great opportunity to expose your children to interesting places, cultures, and languages. Also, traveling can be an effective tool to show your kids survival and organizational skills and develop self-care awareness. The best part? You don’t need to engage in a cross Atlantic trip to teach your kids about the beauty of this world. Outings near home are an exciting way to get to know our own traditions too, thus developing a more clear identity sense of themselves and their culture. 

travel really worth
Paris, France

Safe space to acquire different values and recognize rough spots that may need to be a little bit “polished”.

When traveling many of the familiar things we have at home aren’t there. We find ourselves surrounded by unknown situations that will activate our self preservation instinct. Our usual selves with our ever present values will be changed.

In our search for familiarity we will approach the differences with personal traits we didn’t know we had. As a family we will develop skill sets triggered by our trips and that will stay with our children forever. Traveling prepares them for unknown situations, challenging scenarios and distinct people. 

Additionally, traveling with kids will show a side of us and them we didn’t think possible or existent. Our children are going to discover many things about themselves, they will experience irritability and tiredness, and they will learn to go on even when their energy level is very low. Traveling makes people resilient and children aren’t the exception. 

Morrocoy, Venezuela

Team building for the future

One thing that we have learned during our years traveling the world is that it takes a whole crew to make a trip happen. Since the planning and booking, family members are committed to collaborate with each other to create the most amazing itinerary.

Our kids sell some of their toys and clothing at the local flea market to have some extra cash to spend during the trip. They learn about budgeting and calculating costs. We purposely involve them in every step of the adventure. 

While traveling we also work as a team to stay safe and healthy. We look after each other’s belongings and are always willing to provide a comfy shoulder for sleepy heads on the train or plane. Together we take pictures, gather info and learn about the culture. Back home we put all of our photographs together (taken with our mobile phones) and create beautiful albums and videos to always remember our adventures.

This is an amazing chance to praise the strengths of your little ones as well. Highlight those personal traits that make them unique and valuable. 

Appreciating positive outcomes and learning from negative situations 

Not every hotel is clean. Not every museum is interesting and not every beach is as blue as the ones we see online. Disastrous trips are a reality. By traveling with our children, we teach them to be grateful for trips where everything works just fine, from the beauty of the surrounding nature to the smooth service of a under developed country’s transportation system.

But what happens when the ideal vacation turns into a nightmare? 

Three years ago we went to Brussels for a long weekend. We arrived to enjoy the most delicious chocolate in the world and the most crispy french fries ever! After spending the whole day exploring we decided to go to our hotel to get a good night sleep.

Our nightmare started. The charming hotel we booked based on the pictures and reviews from a well known travel website, turned out to be a whole on the wall located in a very shady neighborhood where the words prostitution and drug dealing weren’t that foreign. 

Immediately we went from “singing in the car” happy tourists to scared American family in dangerous territory. Don’t laugh! Don’t roll your eyes either. It was scary! But once the shock of the moment was gone, a very united and synchronized family started looking for solutions. After phoning and browsing online, we ended up sleeping in a beautiful hotel close to the border in the German side. It wasn’t cheap, but it was worthy.

This experience helped our children to realized that sometimes things don’t go our way. And that’s fine! We just need to clean the scratch on the knee and keep going. Better times will come for sure. 

You complaint about the challenges of being a parent. Aren’t you willing to enjoy the bright side? What makes travel really worth it all?

Parenting is similar to Jedi training and life. It presents us with both a bright side and a dark (sometimes very obscure) side. Usually we hear and read about the many difficulties to be a parent. We complaint loudly about it. I assure you that traveling, even with the challenging moments, is a great time to see and experience the sublimely thing that are our children.

Seeing them swimming, running, exploring, growing is so rewarding. All of the sudden everything makes sense, including those sleepless nights, hours of lessons and values we impart. Being away from home gives families the opportunity to better appreciate each other in a more relaxing setting.

To us, my husband and I, has been the best way to get to know our offsprings and see the results of our dedication and their personalities. We wouldn’t change traveling with our kids for anything in the world. 

In conclusion, my tears due to a feeling of soon-to-be empty nest have disappeared. It took me a while but soon enough I was already checking online the prices of plane tickets to travel with my pack. I am willing to enjoy every minute with my kids, spending time to hug them overseas and show them the world that surrounds us. 

Are you willing to give yourselves that opportunity?

You won’t regret it! 

30 % Discount This Summer.
Grab it for a Quick Summer Read Now!

 

Traveling is the Biggest Learning Experience You Can Give Little Kids

How Parents Can Help Their Children with Speech Disorders

How Parents Can Help Their Children with Speech Disorders

by with 6 Comments Specially Abled

Speech disorders are more prevalent than many think. If you are the parent of a child with one of these disorders, it’s up to you to provide your child with a significant amount of support.

Early intervention is essential to help ensure that a childhood speech impediment doesn’t become a lifelong social barrier for your child. Below are a few ways you can help your child with their speech disorder.

Read with Them

Reading to your child can be incredibly helpful, especially if they have a speech disorder. Though reading is always helpful for instilling a love of language, reading out loud helps to provide a model for how to pronounce words.

This, in turn, can support your child’s ability to speak properly and even provide support for any therapy in which he or she might be enrolled. Having your child read along is an important element, as well. This gives them structured one-on-one feedback on where they need to improve and how to pronounce their words.

Record and Listen

If your child is older, it might be a good idea to let them record their voice. This will allow your child to hear what they sound like, giving the child a chance to focus on areas of weakness and to gauge their progress over their speech problems.

While this isn’t quite as useful for younger children, it can be a great tool for older kids who want to be more involved with their own treatment. This can also help bring greater awareness to your child of where they struggle and what it sounds like when they are speaking correctly.

Singing

Singing lessons can also play a role in helping with speech issues. Speech lessons are more about just hitting the right pitch—they have quite a bit to do with things like volume control, enunciation, and even proper breathing. If your child has difficulty with speech, allowing him or her to take singing lessons may be a way to allow your child to make significant progress. Practicing good breathing, resonance, and pronunciation through singing is a great way for a child to better understand how they can alter the sound and consistency of their speech.

Get Therapy

It’s vital that any child with a speech issue works with a licensed speech therapist. Taking the time to look at therapy solutions for speech issues should help you to find a therapist in your area who can help your child. Early intervention is essential for helping children overcome speech problems before they reach adulthood.

A therapist can help coordinate a variety of therapy methods, including many of the options mentioned above, to address your child’s particular struggle.

If your child has speech problems, do what you can to support him or her. Read to your child, look into singing lessons, and find a good therapist who will help your child to overcome the obstacles that may be in their way. It may take quite a bit of effort, but you’d be surprised by the progress a child can make when they have the right kind of support available.

hospital pexels-photo-

Being a Parent While Losing One – What No One Knows

by with 14 Comments Mindset

He was our lighthouse, my dad. The rock that we could hang on to, at times of storm. We never expected to be shaken up, the way life shook us one day, not this early in our lives. The dreaded phone call came on a regular summer morning. It was their wedding anniversary, the day that we should have been celebrating. Instead, they were rushing off to see a doctor as he had been getting severe headaches. And then began my days of being a parent while losing one.

The doctor took an MRI and asked him to get admitted immediately. They saw bleeding in his brain and dad kept insisting that he felt fine. When the doctors at the hospital said what they said, he told them “,

If you do the things that you are saying, things are not going to be normal for me.” And he was right. The next nine months were the hardest times that a man and his family would face. His life went back and forth between the hospital and home and our lives went back and forth between hope and fear. One phone call took away life as we knew it.

Being a Parent While Losing One

Facing reality…

While our mom was thrown in the midst of full-time care giving, my sister & I had our own share of realities to face. It started with , which one of us could get to them faster and for how long. We both had our own families to take care of, our husband, children, in-laws, all of whom proved to be our rock.

As we went back and forth between our homes and our parent’s residence, we had to contend with the big G, the humongous guilt factor. When we stayed with our parents, we felt bad for our little ones, and when we came back home, we spent sleepless nights worrying about our parents. It was a lose-lose from all ends, or at least it seemed that way. Being a parent while losing one is unimaginable.

Parenting …

The nine months seemed to have passed in a daze. To be honest, as I sit here trying to recollect what kind of parenting I did in those months, I can not point a single moment in time when I did anything great.

But the days did pass by, one day at a time. Lunches were made, kids were dropped off and picked up from their activities, home-works were accomplished, parent-teacher conferences were attended and we managed to stay sane through it all.

Being a Parent While Losing One

Emotional roller coaster…

However, even the little ones had to experience their share of emotional upheavals. Though my younger one was not fully aware of what was going on with his grandpa, he had to undergo separation from his mom, at least a couple of times.

So, every time I would come back from the trip, he would make me promise that I wouldn’t go back. And every single time, I promised him that no matter how many times I had to leave, I would always come back.

My older daughter became my rock, even as she occupied herself with her school work and taking care of her little brother. As much as she was heartbroken at the thought of her grand-dad, she always stood by her mother. She sometimes became the second mom of her sibling, and at other times, a strong shoulder for her mother, so much so that her mother lost track of who was the parent.

Being a Parent While Losing One - What No One Knows

The dreaded final days…

Even as we dealt with day to day activities, my dad’s health deteriorated. After repeated surgeries, we all began to accept the fact that he couldn’t survive the latest of his health crisis for long. We didn’t want him to undergo any more trouble and we couldn’t bear to watch what it was doing to our mom.

The decision was officially taken out of our hands as my dad went into a coma and the doctors too asked us to take him home, as there was nothing else that they could do.

As our mom struggled with watching him slip out of her hands, we struggled with maintaining our sanity, especially in front of our children. I had to leave one more time, just so that I could spend a few days with my dad and support my mom. I have often wondered where we got all the strength to deal with the necessities of taking care of a terminally-ill person. But we held strong, especially my mom, surrounded by a network of well-wishers and some very able doctors and nurses.

While my children coped with my absence, I sang to my dad, talked with him, held his hands and promised him that we would take care of his wife, our mother. And when my son came down with flu, despite my husband’s protests, I flew back to take care of my son, at my mother’s insistence. I will always admire my mom’s clear-headed thinking at times of such emotional turmoil. We each had to do our duty, and there would not be any confusion on who does what.

Lessons Learned

No matter what kind of situation life throws at you, it comes with its share of lessons. We always think that we could never handle something, and it could be anything. Then, one fine day, that situation stares at you, you are faced with being a parent while losing one and you find yourself coping with it in ways you never thought were possible.

You are surrounded by your village, people near and far, friends and acquaintances, near and distant relations, each and every one of them contributing in their own magical way. But the most important contribution is your own self. You are stronger than you ever imagined, braver than you ever thought. You tackle it, one problem at a time, and one day at a time.

And, the biggest parenting lesson that I learned was from my mom, there is no guilt in parenting , period. You do not have to feel guilty over your choices, nor should you make others feel guilty over their choices.

You do what you can do, to the best of your abilities. Some of them will be right and some might even be wrong and you face the consequences of each of these actions …again to the best of your abilities.

Nothing more, nothing less. A standard that we always saw our dad live up to, and what we continue to live by, as we move on in to a life without him.

5 Gifts Kids Can Easily Sew for Fathers

5 Gifts Kids Can Easily Sew for Fathers

by with 5 Comments Crafts

Every parent loves it when their child gives them a present, whether it’s for their birthday, Christmas, New Year, or any other holiday actually. And when that present is something that the child had made themselves, the parent’s joy is even greater, accompanied by a sense of pride and fulfillment. Here are gifts kids can easily sew for fathers.

Most of the time, kids create something for their mothers, but this time, we’ll be showing you something a little different. We’ll show you five gifts kids can easily sew for their dad. Dads also like presents, so this time, it’s all about them.

Denim bookmark

This is an ideal gift for fathers who enjoy reading and always have a book by their side when they’re relaxing. Since the material in question is denim, an adult will have to help the child just a little, when it’s time to use the sewing machine.

Necessary materials for this present are a piece of denim which you can cut out from an old pair of jeans, a piece of fabric that will act as a stabilizer, a pretty ribbon, a pair of scissors, a sewing machine and a thread.

First thing you have to do is to cut out the denim in the size you wish the bookmark to be, two pieces of almost identical dimensions, one being just a bit smaller than the other. Then cut out the stabilizer in the same dimensions as the smaller denim piece. Lastly, cut the ribbon about an inch or two longer than the denim piece and burn its endings so that they don’t fray.

Now it’s time to start sewing. Denim is a tough type of material, so you should use a needle specifically designed to pierce denim. A heavy duty sewing machine is also recommended, because it can sew with denim easily.

Position the longer denim strip first, then put the stabilizer, then the second denim strip, and finally, the ribbon, all on each other. Stitch the ribbon to the fabrics and you’re done. You can cut off the excess stabilizer material, just be careful not to cut too much.

Keychain

Gifts Kids Easily Sew Fathers

This one can be done by hand, which means that your child can do it by themselves. Cut out a piece of fabric in the form you wish, a square, a circle, an octagon, anything works. Then stitch a second cutout to the mentioned piece by hand. Try to make the second cutout something that looks nice, like a heart or a star, it will make the keychain look much better. Then just attach an actual keychain to it and that’s it.

Laptop sleeve or bag

Useful and pretty, a laptop bag is a great gift for dads. All you need in order to make it is a piece of fabric, a zipper or a button, and a sewing machine. Cut out two pieces of fabric in dimensions slightly larger than the laptop and then stitch them together on three sides. Insert the zipper on the fourth side, or add an overlap with a button and you can hand it out to dad.

Phone or glasses case

Gifts Kids Easily Sew Fathers

This is even easier than the previous gift, and is smaller in size. As long as you can sew in a straight line you can totally make this case. All you need is fabric, felt, thread and your trusted sewing machine. You’ll be using wool felt as a lining in order to both cushion and protect the phone or the glasses from scratches.

Pajama pants

This is the most complex project on this list, meaning that only older kids who have experience with sewing can make it. Steal dad’s pajama pants for a while and trace them to make a pattern or use on the free pajama pants patterns here. Then choose a nice and soft material and start cutting out the patterns. Stitch them together, insert a string at the waistline and maybe add some pockets and the gift is ready to be wrapped in decorative paper.

Check out more crafts you can make for your family here.

Now you know how to make a gift for dad and surprise him on Father’s Day. Whichever one you decide to create, dad will surely love it and treasure it.

The Beauty of Recognizing Our Mistakes as Parents

The Beauty of Recognizing Our Mistakes as Parents

by with 12 Comments Mindset

To say that my son is a perfectionist would be a huge understatement. He does not like making mistakes. And the idea of doing something wrong paralyzes him so much that he won’t even try something unless he knows that he can do it.

So I do what every mom is supposed to do, keep reminding him that it’s OK to make mistakes and that learning from our mistakes helps us all grow our brain power.

On one such day of advice-giving, he looks up at me and says, “If I make a mistake, you get angry.” That was the day that I realized that his extreme reactions came from my unrealistic expectations.

That was also the day I understood that Moms can and often make mistakes.

The Beauty of Recognizing Our Mistakes as Parents

Observe Yourself

So I started observing my behavior around my son. Every time he made a mistake, frown lines would appear on my face as if by magic. If the mistakes continued despite repeated instructions, my soft voice got louder. In a few days, I observed myself losing control more often than I would have liked. It felt as if someone else resided in me and she would take charge every once in a while.

Then, I had to follow up with the real work of catching myself while making those mistakes. It is so much easier to catch something once it has already been done. After-all, hindsight is always 20/20. The real challenge was to identify it right before it started.

So, every time that I felt I was losing control, I would count to ten, or start chanting Om. I also kept reminding myself that I was dealing with another human being, a little one who had his own share of feelings and emotions. And the little child’s expressions as he looked at my face was a bit too much to bear.

Shift Your Perspective

It took all my positive spirit to make myself understand that making mistakes was not the end of the world. I kept reminding myself and forgiving myself every time I lost control of my emotions. It took quite a bit of self-talk to come to terms with this side of me.

I even compared myself to the great Kramer in one episode of Seinfeld, where he decides not to talk. The guy would start talking and then in the middle of his speech, remember his oath, and state, “And it starts now!” That became my catch-phrase, my new mantra …It starts now!

But the most important thing that I did was to make a point of sharing with my son that getting angry over making mistakes was a huge blunder in itself. He had a huge grin on his face when he understood that I was the one in trouble for a change and that he got to “forgive” me.

And they live happily-ever-after

The day finally came, when both of our hard work gave us some tangible result. My son and I were singing a song at a pitch of G sharp.

As the song progressed, my son shook his head from time to time, even as he continued to sing. By the end of the song, I caught on to the fact that we were both singing in different pitches. I had gone down to F sharp which was not how we started the song.

I knew that all my efforts to teach him the value of making mistakes were not wasted when my little one waited for the song to get over, each of us singing in different pitches, and then exclaimed, “Mom you made a mistake … but that’s alright, you still sang well!”

Change in our children begins with us.

 

raising responsible citizens

Raising Responsible Citizens – The Need Today for Collective Reform

by with 7 Comments ActivismEducationEmpowerment

The world’s largest democracy India, recently underwent the process of electing their new government and thus, political debates seem to be the favorite past-time of the season. We have all become way too familiar with terms like Liberals, Conservatives, Nationalists, Socialists, Right Wing, Left Wing, etc. Most developed countries are undergoing elections or are in a transition-phase. It is more important now than ever that we focus on raising responsible citizens.

Unfortunately, the system of gaining votes by banishing the opposition, ridiculing women and name-calling is what makes these developed countries seem to be on the contrary.

Development doesn’t necessarily only represent a huge infrastructure, tall buildings, swanky metros, huge shopping malls, big universities and out-of-the-world touristic hotspots.

Development of a nation needs to start at a grass-root level, with each individual.

Development begins in the mind first. Development lies in humanity, and is reflected in compassion, empathy and acceptance. If most so-called ‘developed countries’ had to go by these parameters of development, they would come out to be as the most under-developed nations. Unfortunately, we seem to have lost humanity and empathy for our fellow citizens, on a national and global level.

Collective Reform on the “Me First” Attitude

Unfortunately, this is where our system has failed us. Instead of making us think at a community level, each one of us is busy thinking at an individual level. Personal gains and benefits is what seem to matter the most.

Believe it or not, this ‘Me First’ thinking needs to be uprooted, for the betterment of our society. For it begins at our homes, where we teach our kids to look out for themselves first before others.

This thinking is further fueled by competitiveness at school and eventually turns into a mentality, which is very hard to break free from. And by the time we are done with school and college and ready to take up a job, we are told that now we will know about how hard and cruel this world is. Do we even realize that we are training ourselves to become that ‘hard and cruel’ part that we are always warned about?

We tend to begin most new phases of our lives with sheer competitiveness and selfishness. Competition over GPA, over who is getting more perks at work, over whose baby begins walking first, over whose food tastes betters and the list can go on.

Why can’t we just celebrate these milestones and achievements without comparing it to someone else? Why can’t we just take pride in that moment and be grateful for what we have achieved? Why do we have to out-do someone else or put someone down to make ourselves feel better? Does self-worth always have to come at someone else’s expense?

What was once just a thought process then gets imbibed into us and becomes a mentality. This eccentric mentality then lives with us forever and very few people are fortunate enough to break away from it. We get so used to thriving on others failures that we forget to cherish our own joys. And this is exactly what is happening all around us and this is why we see a huge rise in relationship instability, financial instability, depression, anxiety, bullying, substance abuse and other social and mental problems.

Raising Responsible Citizens – The Need Today for Collective Reform

Raising Responsible Citizens

We need to start with mentoring the younger generation to uplift each other and look out for one another. A few ways how we can train our children to become more compassionate towards others are:-

 

Sharing is Caring

 As toddlers and pre-schoolers, we need to emphasize to our little ones the importance of sharing and what better way to start than by sharing toys. This may be extremely hard for the child but eventually he/she will be able to shake off this feeling.
Children should be taught to share with their friends and classmates at school. Water, snacks, school supplies or notes…what they share doesn’t matter. What matters is that they don’t hold on to things only for themselves and open up their hands (and hearts) to others.
The one thing every child can never have enough of is toys. So if your child insists on hoarding toys, teach him/her to give away one old toy for every new one they get. They can give it away in charity or give it to a friend. The emphasis here should be on sharing and NOT on parting away with something.

Fiscal Responsibility

If you give your child pocket money, ensure to also educate them about budgeting, saving and caring. Teach them to spend within their limit, to save some for later and to give a part of it towards charity. This way we are training them to grow up to become responsible and compassionate adults. Allow them to give some charity themselves to the homeless, less fortunate, community helpers, etc.

Be a Helping Hand

Every now and then, send some food to your neighbors and ask your children to give it to them. This is one of the best ways for a child to learn how to share first-hand.

While trying to raise our kids well and teach them empathy, we are in turn bettering ourselves too. Every act of teaching someone to be good OR do a good deed is in fact a starting point for us, towards improving ourselves. And anything done habitually can turn a thought into a thought-process. So why not make it a POSITIVE one!

Activism

It is so important to teach our kids early to speak up about what needs to be better. Don’t forget to read these 20 ways to inspire kids by showing up every day with little acts of activism. It is the little things, that make a big difference as a collective.

 

Read Books


Before building and developing the infrastructure and economy of a country, we need to start developing its’ citizens first.

And the best way to go forth is by focusing on building character. Tolerance, acceptance, compassion, respect, humanity, empathy are just to name a few of the characteristics that need to be imbibed into people.

For this is where, the true success of development lies!

 

You can find more easy activities you can do at home with your kids here.

 

Timeless Travel Tips for Every Family's Ideal Vacation

Timeless Travel Tips for Every Family’s Ideal Vacation

by with 3 Comments Travel

Traveling as a family is both a joy and a challenge; parents may find it difficult to find a balance between their interests and their children’s. Locations that were once considered exotic are now impractical.

Don’t worry. You can still travel the world and experience what life has to offer with kids in tow, and the journey can be all-the-more magical as you get to see amazing new places through their eyes.

Before you start to travel overseas as a family, here are four tips to help make the voyage easier.

 

1. Arrange Travel Before You Leave

Airplane tickets are just the beginning. How do you plan to leave the airport when you arrive at your destination? You may think it’s as simple as hailing a cab, but after a long flight, finding good transport to your hotel can be overwhelming.

Instead, look up the airport you’ll be flying into and read about their transportation options. If cabs are always waiting, then you’re good to go. If you have to call out for one, get the number and have it ready before you go. You may even want to call a car service and have a ride waiting to take you to your destination. For larger groups, a maxi taxi can be a great option.

2. Pack Extra Essentials

Bring more underwear, socks and t-shirts than you’ll need. These are light-weight items that you can’t go without. Kids are more prone to lose or soil their garments, and you don’t want to be running around a foreign city trying to find new clothes at the last minute.

You should also save time at the baggage claim by combining belongings into one or two large suitcases, as opposed to every family member carrying their own half-full checked bag.

3. Accommodate Dietary Restrictions

Make sure that you research the cuisine of your destinations for those who are gluten or lactose-intolerant or have food allergies. Find restaurants in the vicinity of your hotel that offer food you can trust. You don’t want to arrive at a destination only to realize you can’t eat 95-percent of its cuisine.

4. Build an Itinerary

Wandering aimlessly is fun when you’re a lone traveler or backpacking couple, but families are better off planning an itinerary. Book guided walking tours that will allow you to take in each location’s landmarks while learning something interesting. Avoid getting lost or having the kids complain of boredom by including plenty of fun activities and excursions, from hang-gliding to horseback riding.

Planning as a Family

Even preschoolers can get involved with organizing the next family vacation. Research different locations together, and explore walking tours and sightseeing videos on YouTube. The best trips you take together will be ones that you’re all equally excited about.

Read here our tips for traveling with teens.

With the whole family on-board, even a one-hour road trip to the next town over can be a great time.

Lizzie Weakley is a freelance writer from Columbus, Ohio. In her free time, she enjoys the outdoors and walks in the park with her three-year-old husky, Snowball.

travel tips vacation

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Help Your Child with Dyslexia Learn Arabic Numbers

by with 6 Comments LanguagesSpecially Abled

Learning to count, read and write, from one to ten in Arabic can be challenging when you experience difficulties in the language (English) of your home country (Australia)!  To say the least! We have a dyslexia and dysgraphia diagnosis in our house which causes some struggles in learning Arabic.

١ ٢ ٣ ٤ ٥ ٦ ٧ ٨ ٩ ١٠ 

 

From birth my children have been encouraged to speak my language (English) and my husband’s home language (Arabic) – My husband is an English teacher which causes some confusion for many people.

Help Your Child with Dyslexia Learn Arabic Numbers

A late dyslexia diagnosis, means that we still struggle with the basics but have developed some fun strategies for learning. When I started out with this exercise I was going to show you numbers from 1 to 100. Fortunately, reality set in, but not until after the cards were made (12 cards are a better fit on the A4 page so I made 1 to 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100 – so I could use them later)! One step at a time! Numbers from 1 to 10 first!

I will add free link to .pdf file here: https://springbrookorbillabong.wordpress.com/2019/05/24/cards-for-learning-arabic-numbers/

Steps we use to learn numbers in Arabic:

Numbers and Names:

1 – one – ١ – wahad -واحد –

2 – two – ٢ – ithnaan – اثنان –

3 – three – ٣ – thalaatha- ثلاثة –

4 – four – ٤ – arba3a – أربعة –

5 – five – ٥ – khamsa – خمسة –

6 – six – ٦ – sitta – ستة –

7 – seven – ٧ – sab3a – سبعة –

8 – eight – ٨ – thamaaneya – ثمانية –

9 – nine – ٩ – tis3a – تسعة –

10 – ten – ١٠ – 3ashara – عشرة-

Add Music

Adam as Mishmish on Youtube sing numbers 1 – 10: https://youtu.be/b5cOSaOu9lA

I love the tune for the first 21 seconds (numbers 1 to 10,  repeat) on this youtube numbers video. What follows after 21 seconds is an Islamic  song about numbers: https://youtu.be/fJ50Po9_yYo

I find counting the numbers on your fingers as you sing. So you learn to associate a picture of the right number of fingers with the number you are singing, not just a number on the screen. This way you can feel the numbers too. I just developed my own counting system with my fingers, however a much better idea would have been to use the Sign Language Numbers chart. (Most children at school in Australia  are taught to sign the Alphabet and Numbers).

http://localhost/raisingworld/2018/07/09/teaching-mother-tongue-children-foreign-country/

Card Games

Print three full number charts from .pdf above or any you like from the internet

  • The first copy I like to laminate so I can read the numbers and names in order.
  • For the other two copies – use two pieces of differently colored card, or two different A4 colored papers and laminate them. Then cut, following the black line, to make two separate piles of 10 cards. (12, or 20 cards)
  • Play card games:

Card Game 1

Matching card games – use two sets of matching cards and lay them face down on the floor. Then each taking turns turn over a card, read it number (for little count the number of spots to find the number), next turn over another card to see if it matches. (Having two different colored card sets means you can look for a card in either color to match so 10 cards to match is an easier task when you want a 6/٦ in red and green).

If it matches you keep the cards and have another turn. If it does not match, turn the cards back over and it is the next player’s turn.

Card Game 2

Play the adapted to learning Arabic numbers version of my favorite card game ever “Go fishing” –  So add number struggles and a game without pencil and writing paper needed. To play: With two players, two different colored sets of 1-10 cards. (Make the learning as easy as possible. If you have a red card you want the green one to match). For extra players either add another two sets of different colored 1-10 Cards or use 2 sets of 1-20 Cards.

Deal 5 cards to each player. Put the rest of the cards in the center to make the fishing pile. First person looks at their cards and chooses one to ask for. (Do you have… “ثمانية  thamaaneya (8) ٨ ” (If you don’t know the number count the spots).

If the person asked does. They give the matching card to the person asking. Then have another turn. If the person does not have the card they say “pick up a card (Go fishing)” and it is the next person’s turn. The person with the most pairs when all the cards are matched wins.

Card Game 3

Last card game is the “Arabic Number Card” version of “snap”. Deal all of the cards out to all the players. Don’t look at the cards. Taking turns, first person puts a card face up in the middle and reads and says the number on the card. If they do not know the name count the number of spots to work out the name.

Then the next person puts a card on top of it quickly, if it is a matching card, the first person whose hand covers the cards and says “snap” gets the cards. The game continues until all of the cards are with one person, who is then the winner.

Sweeten the Festival of Eid al-Fitr with Cookies Around the World

Sweeten the Festival of Eid al-Fitr with Cookies Around the World

by with 7 Comments festivalsFood

The Festival of Eid al-Fitr is celebrated at the end of the Islamic month of Ramadan. Ramadan is the 9th month of the Islamic year.

In Ramadan, Muslims believe that God sent the Angel Gabriel to reveal the first oral verses of the Quran to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

During the time of Ramadan, from sunrise till sunset, Muslims across the world fast.  In Ramadan Muslims try to be extra mindful towards others, give charity, and most importantly they try to read the Quran as much as possible.

Eid al-Fitr means “The Festival for the Breaking of the Fast”. It is celebrated on the first day of the month of Shawwal, the month after Ramadan.

The  actual day of the festival day depends on the sighting of the crescent moon which marks the first day of the new Islamic month. This year the Eid al-Fitr Festival will fall on approximately the 5 June 2019.

After the Eid prayers in the morning everyone greets each other with “Eid Mubarak” which means “Happy Eid”.  The traditional response to ‘Eid Mubarak’ is “Kul aam wa antum bi khair” which loosely translates as “and a good year ahead for you too”.

During Eid, children receive presents from their family and close family friends.  They are usually gifted money for them to save or spend as they wish.

Everyone enjoys dressing up in their special new clothes for the Eid al-Fitr Festival.  Eid is a special time for Muslim families to visit their family and friends.

Many people also attend special celebrations across the city held in the parks so children may play together.  Many food tents are at the festival so you can try traditional Eid celebration food from many different countries from around the world.

Many delicious foods are made especially for the festival celebrations. All the food is made for sharing.

I love Eid cookies! ♡♡♡

View this post on Instagram

Making a huge shift from All-Purpose Flour to Whole-Wheat Flour and from White Sugar to Brown Sugar…starting with the kids fav chocolate chip cookies! Healthy beginnings to some happy endings! 💝 Whole-Wheat Double Chocolate Chip Cookies 🍪🍪🍪 Ingredients for 2 dozens 2 cups whole wheat flour 1 + 1/2 cup fine brown sugar 2 sticks butter (200 gms), room temperature 2 large eggs, room temperature 2 tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips 1 cup hand-cut dark chocolate bits Method In a glass bowl, combine the butter and brown sugar. Mix well with a whisk or a fork, until light and fluffy. You can use your electric hand mixer too. Personally, I prefer making this cookie batter with hand tools. Then add the eggs, vanilla essence and salt. Beat until all the ingredients are mixed well. Now add the whole wheat flour and baking soda. Mix well until all the ingredients are combined. Add the chocolate chips and chocolate bits. Your cookie dough is now ready. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees C. Line your baking trays with baking paper. Drop a tablespoon of cookie dough about 2 inches apart from each other. Bake for around 10 minutes, until the cookies are golden at the edges and soft at the center. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Don't forget to store them in an air tight container. ENJOY! #WholeWheat #DoubleChocolateChip #Cookies #ChocolateChip #Homemade •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• #CinnamonCardamom #foodblog #foodblogger #food #foodies #foodtalkindia #foodnetwork #chefsofinstagram #fbai #ndtvfood #feedfeed #buzzfeedfood #foodgawker #f52grams #foodblogfeed #indianfoodbloggers #kuwaitfoodbloggers #StayAtHomeMom #SAHM #MomBlogger #KuwaitBloggers #indianbloggersinkuwait

A post shared by Minali Bajaj-Syed (@cinnamon_cardamom) on

 

My favourite Eid Cookie is called Klaicha. It is a traditional Iraqi biscuit made with fine Semolina filled with dates. Some people like to fill them a with pieces of Turkish delight or coconut and sugar mixture. Either way they are very delicious. Link to a recipe here:  http://globalcookies.blogspot.com/2007/10/iraq-klaicha.html?m=1

Maamoul cookies are made in Syria and Lebanon. These are shortbread style cookies filled with dates or pistachio nuts, and dusted with icing sugar.

Maamoul Cookies (Date Filled Cookies)

Egyptian Kahk – These are Egyptian Eid cookies made with pistachios and honey filling.  You can find more information and a recipe at the following link:

https://amiraspantry.com/kahk-eid-cookies-pistachios/

Reference:

Islamic Finder https://www.islamicfinder.org/special-islamic-days/eid-al-fitr-2019/

Sweeten the Festival of Eid al-Fitr with Cookies Around the World


 

When Your Teen Faces the Loss of a High School Friend

When Your Teen Faces the Loss of a High School Friend

by with 6 Comments ParentingTeenagers

There is nothing fun about going through the pain of losing a loved one. For any average adult, the grieving process can bring them to their knees in anguish. This is why it can be even more traumatic for a teenager who’s faces the death of a high school friend. When children are young, they’re not used to losing loved ones or embracing the concept of death.

While teens are more capable of understanding loss, they are still new to it and will need guidance to handle it in a healthy manner. As their parent, consider the following ways you can help your teen through the loss of a high school friend.

When Your Teen Faces the Loss of a High School Friend

Facing the death of a High school Friend

Keep an open dialogue about loss

Make sure that your teenager knows that you are open and available for a conversation at any time they need you. Oftentimes, people tend to bottle their emotions up in order to cope with pain. This ends up leading to unhealthy practices such as binging, excessive sleeping or substance abuse. In order to help your teenager fight through the tough emotions, invite them to speak with you on a regular basis. You can ask them questions. Give them space to breathe. Also, do your best to avoid judgment. They need to know they can be vulnerable in a judgement-free zone.

Find counseling services

Do your best to find local counseling services that will cater to your teenager. If you don’t know where to start, you can always contact friends and family members who might have their own recommendations. Keep in mind that the first counselor you speak with may not be the right fit for your teenager. Take the time to bring your teen to a variety of consultations to find who they connect with the best in order to get the best results from your teen’s therapy. You can speak with youth counselors, or find specialized grief counseling for young adults, depending on the level of guidance your teen needs.

Talk to the school administration

If your school administration knows what your child is dealing with, they’ll be able to notify the teachers and extend grace in their case. When a teacher knows that a child is dealing with a lot of emotional difficulty, they tend to be more understanding when it comes to their ability to function at optimal levels in the classroom. The school administration should be a part of your support system. Working with them can help give your teen better support while dealing with their loss and allow the administration to better coordinate the care of all affected students.

Help reduce daily stressors

http://localhost/raisingworld/2019/04/30/20-steps-towards-finding-calm-within-self-family/

When someone is stressed, this can exacerbate any negative emotion. This is why it’s wise to find different ways to decrease the amount of stress your teenager is facing. Whether you take them out for ice cream one night after school or allow them to enjoy a few laps in the swimming pool, find ways to help them cope and enjoy a new pace in life.

Though the process won’t be easy, continue to be patient. You know your child. You know how they tend to deal with different issues. If you notice something uncommon, don’t ignore it. Embrace the process, and know that it won’t last. Your teenager will experience brighter days ahead.

Remove the Taboo of the F* Word Early in Kids

Remove the Taboo of the F* Word Early in Kids

by with 6 Comments Feminism

My husband is my pillar, my rock, my life partner. He has been nothing less than supportive of me and my career since we met. During that time I’ve run my own successful advertising agency and worked for Google.

I had three months off work with the birth of my first child and 6 weeks with the second. We married after the second – I have always joked I wanted to make sure he’d make a good father before I committed to him. The truth is, he’s the better half of our partnership.

Except.

One thing.

The F* word.

That’s right. Feminism.

Before I met him I started working with a charity that ran several women’s refuges and rehabilitation program mes for survivors of domestic abuse. When this took the form of gathering hundreds of presents each Christmas for the residents of the refuges.

It apparently didn’t occur to him that this was more than a charitable gesture from a white, middle class woman. When I talked about women’s rights and told him stories about survivors I’d met, he listened, nodded and I took this to be a shared feeling of the utter outrage I felt about the gender equality we live with day to day.

Then the charity I had been working with for 9 years went into administration. The refuges luckily were absorbed into a bigger network, but the high quality 1:1 counseling, the lobbying, the powerhouse that believed survivors deserved more than 30 days of support as they sought to rebuild their lives, that all disappeared.

I was very involved as the charity wound down and became a lot more vocal about my beliefs. This came around shortly before Weinstein and the #metoo movement. This is the point when I realized my husband is embarrassed by my perspective.

But it’s not just him, it’s also certain groups of family, friends, parents from school; both male and female. If I’m socializing and anything remotely related to #metoo or the F*word comes up it all gets a bit awkward. If anyone attempts to open up the conversation, or offer a vaguely provocative opinion they’re immediately put down with a combination of banter and deprecating remarks. And yes, when I say anyone, I mean me.

This realization came as I’d come to realize that charities, small charities especially, really struggle with funding; government and institutional grants require mountains of paperwork just to be considered, individual donors are being pulled in all sorts of directions for all sorts of causes. The only way to create real financial stability is for them to create a sustainable income stream.

So I set my mind to thinking. What product could we create that would provide this sustainable income stream for charities whilst also effecting change. My experience with social exchanges, or rather lack of, made me realize that to have any hope of progress around gender equality continuing we needed to change the conversation.

For the last 18 months I’ve been working on a set of conversation cards that are designed for families with kids age 5-12.

They have all sorts of questions on them ranging from Have you ever wondered what animals talk about? Or which of your teachers might survive a zombie apocalypse? To ‘Is it ok to call a girl manly?’ and ‘Who should have the last say in a family?’.

It’s working. My two girls love it and play it with their dad all the time. He barely seems to notice it covers conversations he’s uncomfortable having with me if I instigate them. Friends who get awkward when we’re discussing this around the dinner table are happily buying sets of cards for their kids.

You can read more about practical ways you can teach gender equality to kids here –

http://localhost/raisingworld/2017/07/07/teaching-kids-gender-equality/

The beautiful thing is the children themselves love the simple interaction they have between themselves and adults.  It’s a small thing but I hope it can make a difference.

Conversations count.

Books for this include –


 

 

Sarah is co-founder at Together Equal, specializing in producing conversation cards which raise money for charities while having a social impact by creating conversations which challenge social stereotypes. Follow Sarah and Together Equal @betogetherequal @sarahairdmash.

You can find Us On –

Twitter @betogetherequal
Instagram @togetherequal
Twitter @sarahairdmash
Website togetherequal.com

http://localhost/raisingworld/2019/03/26/5-woman-empowerment-kids-at-home/

 

Being Different - Empower Your Child to Overcome Self Doubt

Being Different – Empower Your Child to Overcome Self Doubt

by with 9 Comments Body ImageBooksBullyingEmpowermentMindsetSpecially Abled

Have you thought about how your child sees themselves? We see our children as perfect angels for their beauty lies in our eyes since moment they are born but these little humans will eventually grow to look at the world and start comparing themselves. Wonder how they overcome self doubt? Seeing themselves as inferior versions of themselves that can possibly cripple a child and how to overcome self doubt. It has happened to the best of us and will happen till time immortal.

My daughter is quite small for her age. It has been weighing heavy on us seeing other kids much younger to her, stand taller. Specially when we all hear comments like, “Oh, is she really 5?” or “I can put her in my pocket.” Off hand comments made with no thought, but a reminder of her being small.

As much as I worry about it and think about ways that we can help her grow, I have always worried more about the day that she starts seeing herself as different than others. And it happened on her fifth birthday!

She woke up early morning and questioned why she didn’t “look like she was 5”? Putting it down to a child’s question we went on with our day where she kept repeating and getting more disappointed to the point of crying hysterically after her birthday dinner.

When I went down to her level and talked about it, she was hurt that she hadn’t grown taller overnight. “Why am I not like 5 like other kids? They look so different.” It broke my heart. To witness my daughter seeing herself unlike other kids. I let the moment passed and comforted her. And later told her a story about a princess who was small but with a BIG heart and intelligent and helped others with her actions. She loved, loved, loved the new tilt to her perspective and slept with a smile on her face.

And as luck would have it, the next morning we got a book from the author of the book “Being Small Isn’t Bad At All”. Seeing her disadvantage as an advantage worked wonders for her self esteem. Just goes to show what the right books can do for a person’s perspective on life and themselves. If you happen to have a child facing our particular challenge, I can guarantee, this book will change your child’s perspective towards betterment.


This of course is not just restricted to being small. It applies to all those little or big things that make our children ever so slightly different than others. I have always tried my best to empower my kids in the many ways developing a confident mindset to overcome the daily overwhelm that comes with self doubt.

Overcome Self Doubt - Being Different

Get Down to Their Level

Not just literally (though that helps), but don’t just brush off what they are feeling. Help them address their concerns with empathy towards their view point. A hug often helps.

Some Time Off

A big hug, a walk, some time away from what they are feeling later with ice cream, helps them get out of their funk. At least it helps them get out of the hole for a while. Be a friend, by BEING with them, without forcing the issue.

Share Your Own Stories

I never try to hide my own insecurities from my children. I have often told them about times when I have been disappointed or failed or seen myself differently. AND I have talked to them about what I have done over time to overcome the same.

Make Up Stories

You will not believe the smile she had and the encouragement she felt when I told her about the princess who was small (with qualities of things that she liked) and then how it was not her shortcomings (no  pun intended) but her OTHER qualities that helped the kingdom out of the situation. A story tailor made for your child told in a different setting helps them be the 3rd person and see the situation different,

Empower Them with Empathy

Read to them. Talk to them. Not just about their particular self doubts but also, about the MANY different children there are. Teach them about children with different abilities and situations. When they learn how to be kind hearted and SEE other’s situations in a positive light, they grow to shine with their own light as well.

Wait for It

As parents, we all worry but with all the above, a day comes when all those moments come together towards a view point that makes you proud. Like your child standing up for themselves, or ever better, others!

Early, on recent morning, as we got ready for school I told my son to clean his glasses before wearing them and the conversation about glasses led to him mentioning that none of his friends at school wear glasses. He went on to tell me to my surprise that there was a time when he was embarrassed by them, but he got over it by thinking, “Being different doesn’t mean that I have to feel bad about it. I just have to be okay with it. It’s a part of me. “

And then, I knew my kids were okay. For they will grow to know, “Being different is not bad at all.”

 


If you enjoyed this and want more practical tips for imbibing your children with strong values for a confident mindset in the world that constantly evolves.

 

We Need to Be Mindful About Our Impatience with Children

We Need to Be Mindful About Our Impatience with Children

by with 7 Comments Mindset

Do you notice yourself getting more and more impatient with your children?

Human nature is such that we are always craving for more. In our teen years, we are constantly craving for freedom. In the 20’s, we look forward to having fun, getting a good job, buying the newest gadget and more. When we reach our 30’s, we think of traveling, marriage and buying a house.

So this vicious circle of always wanting more never stops. Growing older doesn’t necessary help this process BUT growing wiser definitely helps put things into perspective.

Accept it or deny it but one of the most important reasons we get married is to procreate. A few honeymoons later, everyone begins to think of having children. One of the biggest mistakes most adults make today is listing ‘Having Children’ in their checklist of duties to do. Oh and believe it or not, some of us can’t wait to put a ‘tick’ on that box.

Children are truly a blessing of God and as their parents it is our duty to nurture them with love and care. During pregnancy, we tend to be very cautious and take care of every little detail of our daily routine. We do everything that would NOT harm the baby. And when the baby enters this world, we become even more careful and protective and do everything to care for this little being, who is totally dependent on us.

But as parenthood progresses, we tend to take our blessings for granted. We are overcome with impatience and feel pressured by our changing lifestyle. The journey of a happy couple to new parents and then to being responsible and hands-on parents can be a bumpy one sometimes. In the quest to be perfect parents, we often want to be in control of everything and that is when things seem to fall apart.

Real Reasons Behind the Growing Impatience with Our Kids

We lose patience easily and become extremely intolerant towards our kids. We begin to expect them to behave like adults, forgetting that they are still children because they are not so little anymore.

 

Some reasons why parents tend to be overly intolerant or impatient towards their children are:-

• Multitasking

We often want to have control of everything happening around us and prefer to multitask than to delegate. Women especially are known to be great at multitasking but how good are we at managing the stress that comes with it. In the quest of controlling everything, we tend to be intolerant and neglectful towards our children and tend to respond to them only after our work is completed.

• Marital Issues

We Need to Be Mindful About Our Impatience with Children. Reduce impatience with Children

In most marital problems and arguments, it is an innocent child who bears the brunt. We need to vent out our frustration somewhere, and children can be those soft targets. The age and maturity of a child doesn’t matter. Whether it is a small child or a teenager, the effect of our anger and anguish is always negative.

During a heated argument, we don’t raise our hands on our spouse because that would be physical abuse and no one wants to be accounted for domestic violence. Instead, we lose our cool on the kids and raise our hands on them (because no one looks at this as child abuse).

• Financial Stress

The slowing economy, job cuts and inflation can put pressure on any household. This in turn leads to making us impatient and agitated, and we tend to lose our mind at the kids more often, when things get out of control at home. If you sit back and think about it, children are not affected by these socio-economic factors because they don’t have an understanding of it, and at the end of the day they are only being what they are…children!

• Work-Home Balance

Trying to maintain a work-home balance can be very taxing, when there are children and/or other family members involved. Finding a good helper, a caring nanny or the right daycare can be very challenging for most parents.

Long working hours and work-related stress takes a toll on most individuals. Worked-up individuals then carry forward their frustrations and agitations to their family. Parents either tend to snap at their children or ignore them completely, while trying to deal with their daily problems.

• Competitive Nature

Parents these days are very competitive and want their children to excel in all aspects of life (which is not ideally possible!) We tend to overlook one very important thing – whether our child is enjoying the learning process or not.

Structured learning post-school hours can in fact bore a child and make him less interested in learning newer things because anything monotonous is never appealing. We need to start letting our kids plan their learning and play time according to how or what they feel that day.

Of course that doesn’t mean we let them play with gadgets all day. We can help them with their choices and steer them in the right direction, which will empower them to make correct decisions as adults.


• Phone Anxiety/Gadget Addiction

We have gotten so used to sliding, swiping and switching from one page to another that we think we can use this flipping technique to shoo away our kids too. Children need care, attention and time and we cannot just slide them off like a notification on the phone. As parents, we need to pull the plug on gadget addiction and re-focus on our children.

• Selfishness

Some parents refuse to let go off their pre-parenthood lifestyle for their own selfish reasons. They arrange for play dates to get their children off their back, enroll them in back-to-back classes to have less of them to deal with, spend the weekend shopping or dining with friends (while the kids are back home).

The fear of losing out on fun with friends often makes parents neglect their kids over the weekend, which in reality is a time for family-bonding. Striking a good balance between having a social life and spending time with family is important. Choosing the former over the latter can have devastating effects on our children.

We must remember that our negative behavior towards children can have very damaging effects on them. It can result in:

• Childhood/teenage depression and anxiety (which usually carries forward in to adulthood)
• Susceptible to bullying
• Lack of motivation and goals
• Low self-esteem and self-confidence
• Become social misfits or introverts
• Addiction to drugs, alcohol, gadgets and material pleasures

Let’s hope to make a few changes in our lifestyle and re-think our priorities. In a few years, when our children have gone away to acquire an education or for better work prospects, we will be left longing for them.

Let’s not make them long for our genuine love and affection as children. NOW is the time to spend their best years being there for them, so that when they go away, they have a reason to come back. NOW is the time to listen to them, so that when they grow up and need advice, they know where to look for it.

The best use we can make of our love and time is to INVEST it in our CHILDREN!

Empower Your Mom Friends One-Click at a Time!

Empower Your Mom Friends One-Click at a Time!

by with 5 Comments EducationEmpowermentFeminismMindsetMothers DaySocial MediaWomenworld changers

“All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.” Abraham Lincoln

Raising global children has become a mission many mothers have dared to take over in order to empower their kids with the knowledge and tools needed to succeed in a globalized world. It is such a sweet and time consuming endeavor, but worthy without a doubt.

I am one of those “mamás” working on preparing her children for a more peaceful and diversity aware future. And I’m loving it! 

But lately there is a question “living” inside my head that it refuses to move away. 

Who empowers those relentlessly active moms? 

How do we make sure that moms around the world receive enough support to continue the beautiful path of raising global children? 

Meik Wiking, CEO of the Happiness Research Institute, says in his book The Little Book of Lykke that “there is a four-point happiness gap between the happiest and unhappiest countries, and three points of these four are explained by six factors: togetherness or sense of community, money, health, freedom, trust and kindness.” How do we work together as women for women to procure these six relevant factors? 

Women empowered by social media. Photo credits for Pexels.com

After many thoughts and relentless nights, I have come to the conclusion that at this moment my most powerful “weapon” to promote happy moms is the Internet and social media contacts. If you are an “online active” mom that is registered in different social media outlets, then you are armed with this effective tool as well! 

Social Media Networking 

You only have to look at the rise of female influencers to see women calling the shots, changing the global conversation, and creating new careers and job opportunities from behind the screen of their computers, tablets or mobile devices.

Whether via Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Instragram, social media provides ready communities for women around the world. These outlets represent a great opportunity to “meet” other people with the same professional goals and to promote our ideas, products, and services in a fast and very low-cost way. 

Social Media Networking provides togetherness for women who have previously felt marginalized and powerless, being this the case of many moms in different countries. Let’s not forget that due to cultural or religious beliefs, expat assignments, trailing spouses, and motherhood, many moms find themselves isolated raising their children with no support of family and friends. 

“Social media outlets help mothers find a tribe and amplify their voice”. – Flor García

Empowering one click at a time 

Empowerment is a construct that links individual strengths, competencies, natural helping systems and proactive behaviors to social change. When we share with our Instagram audience the profile of other moms and their entrepreneurial skills, small businesses, ideas, and services we are becoming the voice and marketing solution for those whose experience could improve the life of many. Employers, recruiters and other entrepreneurs could benefit greatly from any of the talents offered by many moms online. 

How much does it cost to you to share somebody else’s business on Instagram? Think about it! And the pros for that mom with a new idea could be endless. Imagine how amazing to be an agent of change!

Promoting online can make the difference between a desperate mom and an emotionally healthy one. Which one do you think will have more energy to focus on raising world children? Money isn’t happiness, but it helps big time to focus our attention on what really matters. 

Therefore, an empowered mom producing income would be a great addition to the cultural awareness equation we want to promote at home. Also, it isn’t all about money, remember that empowerment suggest that individuals work with others (sense of community) to achieve goals (trust), efforts to gain access to resources (health and education) and some critical understanding of the socio-political environment of the place where we live (integration). 

Workshops, Webinars and Learning 

Many studies show that social media is contributing to women empowerment but there is still virtual gender gap due to lack of literacy, cybercrime and cyber bullying so many women are not able to fully utilize the new space and explore the many benefits of the World Wide Web. 

Here is when our expertise and academic knowledge play a relevant role in the fight for women literacy and independence. Have you thought about how much a mom can benefit from the knowledge and experience of other women? If you are an expert on areas such as entrepreneurship, cultural integration, diverse communications, arts, languages and web resources, the amazing power you have to enhance the lives of many moms is indescribable! 


Dare to offer online seminars or workshops, do it for a low-cost or free. Count it as your good deed for the month… or year. Jump into the wagon of helping other women. Become that mom willing to be an activist from the comfort of your own home. Generate awareness for social transformation favorable to empowerment of women, specially moms around the world. 

In conclusion, I leave these lines feeling a little bit better. I know that many of the women reading this article will find their way to support other women using social media and other online hubs as their tool for change. Please, don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions. Empowering women online has been proved to be a powerful vehicle for raising women’s rights awareness and income equality for many moms around the world. 

“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” Mahatma Gandhi
The Paradox of Racing Time in Parenting

The Paradox of Racing Time in Parenting

by with 10 Comments Kids CornerMindset

To say that I’m time-obsessed would be an understatement. But it is also true that I was not like this all my life. I have always been the laid-back kid who never feels the urge to rush. I took my own sweet time to get around to doing anything.

I took time to warm up to people. I took time to understand a new concept being taught. But something about having my own kids changed my entire perspective.

The clock-obsessed lady was hiding under the surface of that calm, slow little girl. Now everything that I do revolves around the clock. I have to finish cooking by 10, sit with my son to do his homework from 4:30 to 5:30, take my daughter to a class at 6, pick up my son from his class at 4:30 and so on so forth. The time obsession has moved on to such level that I get impatient if I feel any member of my family seems to be relaxed, a little too relaxed in my opinion, especially if we are all getting ready for some event.

And of all the events, doctor’s appointments are the worst! The fact that you have to be somewhere at a fixed time can get your blood pressure raising very high. And if you add traffic in to this mix, it can really cause you to hyperventilate.

So you’re sitting there, not moving an inch, in the midst of the worst traffic of your life (to be honest, they all seem like that), one eye on the road hoping the car ahead of you will move and another eye on the ticking clock, your pulse raising with every increase of the minute hand.

You sit there wishing that you had started earlier than you did from home. You sit there trying to resist the urge to say some mean things to the guy who cut in front of you, after-all the whole point of this whole circus, the apple of your eye, your little son is sitting right behind you. You wonder why did everyone have to step out of their house exactly on the same day and at the same time when you were running late just a few minutes,  only to find that now you’re running a lot more than a few minutes late. And as you have nothing else to do, you drum on the steering wheel, make loud sighing noises and the merciless clock just keeps ticking and ticking and ticking.

For a second, you wonder if all the clocks in the world should be trashed in some dumpster for mocking your helplessness and then let out another huge sigh and drum some more on the steering wheel. Finally, after what seems like zillion minutes, the traffic lets out, and you feel like you’re flying through the streets.

Your turn to mock the clock. And so the dance continues, you win some you lose some.

 

Neha Narayan is a 9th grader in high school. She likes biking, drawing, and, well, watching YouTube. She hopes to be successful in whatever she decides to do.

Sangeetha Narayan likes to do everything. From writing, reviewing books, and being a great mother (even if she does say so herself) she keeps herself busy. She hopes to continue writing and reviewing and become successful.

 

 

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