From Mama to Bo My dearest Bo, In a few hours, you turn two. Two. I have been your Mama for two full years, and I am still catching myself in mild states of disbelief. You are an extraordinary human being even at your age. You do typical toddler boy things, and also don’t. Your… Continue reading We love you fiercely, we love you softly. (Letters to our son as he turns 2)
As we shut our doors and live our lives 24/7 inside our homes, we think of what we will do once this global pandemic is over. We are gripped by the reality of our mortality. I wanted to un-hear this line from a good friend but I couldn’t: “When this is over, we will all… Continue reading This pandemic will change us all
There is so much that aches to be told but can hardly be said when one moves to another country. As it happens, from time to time, I find myself falling into a state of muteness. Expats go through a deeply nuanced process known to those who have packed their lives into big shipment boxes… Continue reading This undeniable isolation, and things some expats avoid openly talking about
“Alexa, please play Five Little Monkeys,” I speak out to no person in particular. We’re in the midst of one of the countless feeding-a-toddler episodes that parents know too well. Our 15-month old is getting restless on his booster chair and is kicking off the tray while trying to push his belly out of the… Continue reading Raising a child in the age of Alexa
Today’s teenagers are going through a myriad of things that can seem familiar and strange all at once to those of us who like to say that we have “been there.” “No, you haven’t been there. You really don’t know,” a number of teenagers in classes I covered would, not a bit too touchily, say. … Continue reading 14 Parenting Tips from Teenagers
People see you, and yet they don’t. Instead of looking your way, they are looking way past you. Someone asks you a question, but oddly doesn’t tune in to your response. They make polite conversation with no intent to go beyond scratching the surface. They nod, they linger a little, but they neither see nor… Continue reading Being underestimated is a gift in disguise
Lately, I have been half-lamenting my lack of deeper connections. I have been craving to find that elusive spot where I can safely express my fears and insecurities, navigate my confusions and expose my vulnerabilities with neither judgment nor false comfort. It has been more than two years since we expatriated, leaving the home, people,… Continue reading Missing those deeper connections
Let’s rephrase this question, “What do you want to be?” into “What are the many things you want to be?” We are privileged to live in a time where reinvention is a necessity. When we reflect on our fast-changing world, it goes beyond the insane speed with which technology is taking over our lives; rather,… Continue reading We are all in the process of becoming
Why can we not remember being one year old? How can the human brain displace the memory of this almost-magical sprint of time where emotions travel between peaks and valleys in the space of a minute? Where the first infant coos and gassy smiles turn into baby babbling and laughter? Where parents shed self-centered skins… Continue reading The Forgotten First Year
It’s 8 o’clock and my baby has been sleeping soundly since I nursed him a little past 6. In a couple of hours, he will squirm and cry in his sleep and I will be running and panting my way up the stairs to comfort him. The rest of the night will be a blur.… Continue reading The Fallacy of Postpartum Bliss
