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Generation Gap (Tiyambuke 2014 Youth Service)
By: Tapiwa Zuze
Tags: Parenthood, Children, Fatherhood, Christianity, Generation Gap

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language defines Generation Gap as “difference in values and attitudes between one generation and another, especially between young people and their parents”.

The Multi-Lingual Free Encyclopaedia defines Generation Gap as “a disconnect between members of one generation and members of the next based on the later generation developing habits, attitudes, and preferences inconsistent with the experience of the former”.

Underlying factor: Paradigm Shift/Change

Each generation will always be unique in their ways of thinking, seeing things and how they respond.

Bishop Noel Jones, in his message titled; Be Careful For Nothing (13 August 2014); says: “The current generation has been good in inventing instruments and technology but no longer know how to love”.

Advantages enjoyed by the current generation over their predecessors

1. Diverse opportunities — scholarships, bursaries, schools, sporting activities.

2. Global connectivity — internet, laptops, i-phones, tablets, smartphones.

3. Professionalism — dress-codes, manners in eating, specialised ministers of the Word of God (e.g. music pastors, Christian book writers), visual enhanced preaching, and communication and public speaking skills.

4. Quality events and services — weddings, birthday parties, conventions and conferences, medical and dental check-ups, warranties, insurance, funeral policies.

5. Constitutional rights — protected against any possible exploitation (e.g. child soldiers, child employment, child marriages)

6. Security enhancement — national level, household level, neighbourhood.
Parent-Child Differences
By: Unicorn Impulse
Tags: Self Improvement, Parenthood, Children, Psychology, Parenting

Parent-Child Differences

When what you plan for yourself does not align with what your parents plan for you.

You have 3 ways

First....You give in to their idea of what is best for you because it is true that most of the parents want what’s best for their child even if that sometimes would mean to go against what the child wants. It will cause some pain to give up your own dream or goal of life but you do it for them, & live with it for the rest of your life. No judgement about this can be made because as hard as it is to fight for something, equally hard is to give something up to make someone happy.

Second....To leave for time being in which case it would mean they can never comprehend your dreams while you stay.

Third....You stay & fight. Fight until they finally give in, not because they accept it but because they’re tired of it. There’s no point arguing about what they want being correct about what is best for you.

OR

You stay & convince them. Even if it takes years. Stick with them and they stick with you through a hell load of argument, disagreements, hurt, past pain, trauma, depression, and finally have a point of self-realization and accept your way because they finally understand what was taught to them was not all correct & was not the right way of doing things in life or parenting itself.

The dilemma is what you need to do & what you want to do.

It’s hard to introspect what the right decision is when there is so much thinking involved.

What one can do is think about what’s more important. If your dream can wait, it can wait, because it’s a hard truth, that some things are not worth causing pain to your parents. If it cant wait, do it & the rest will look for itself- parents, fate, destiny, everything will turn out for the best. If it does not, it’s not your fault. It is okay to put yourself above sometimes.
The writing exercise-week 1
By: Luis Barbosa
Tags: Parenthood, Writting, Climate Change, Sel Improvement

Here I am writing as I promised myself I would on a weekly basis.

It’s hard though, what subject should I focus on? Describing my week, picking something about my personal life, perhaps writing about a Customer Success topic?

Maybe I can write about this problem. How to select my next subject?

Well, I suppose I’ll try to collect some ideas along the week and pick one to write about on Sundays. It should be something that I care about because, in the end, this should be a fun exercise.

Regarding my previous week, it was the last of my parental leave.

To begin with, I’m feeling truly grateful for having the chance to spend a whole month with my child (props to the Portuguese Gov). Watching Duarte grow up, help him learn, and discover new things every day is probably one of the most rewarding things that I’ve ever done.

Parenthood changed me

I’m a different person now. My priorities shifted, and building a successful career is no longer my primary goal. Instead, being a good father and a role model for my son is now my biggest challenge and concern.

I’m spending a lot of time thinking about the world that he will live in too. I’m certain that climate changes will have a huge impact on our lives, hence, I want to find and tweak our daily lives to minimize our footprint as humans on the planet (feel free to leave suggestions on good readings or podcasts regarding this topic).

That’s all for this week's writing exercise.

Have a good one, and stay safe :)
Becoming a parent at 19
By: Tia Meigio
Tags: Parenthood, Parents, Motherhood, Parenting

Welcome to life!

You stare at the test wondering if the results would change. Not knowing what to do. Forgetting to breathe. Slowly realizing that your life has changed completely. Figuring out what to do after the test. Should I keep it going or make it so my life stays the same. You never know if you will be positive or negative. Repeating in your mind, “Come on! Change! This is not happening”.

Positive. I am just a baby having a baby of mine own.

Questions running in my mind. Being on this emotional roller coaster, wondering how I could take care of a baby when I couldn’t keep my room clean. Am I ready to have a child? Is anyone really ready to have a child? People who think they are ready for a child end up finding out that they are not.

There is no going back now. I was the next one to have a child. I was 19, which is a teenager, but an adult at the same time. I knew for a fact I was not ready to have a child. However, I could never abort a child. That to me is murder. There is a life going inside of you. No matter what you do, you are judged. I was beyond scared just to tell my mother because she is over protective. Once I told her, she acted as if I ruined her life.

She told me growing up that she couldn’t wait until I had kids so she could spoil my kids. The moment I told her that I was pregnant, she stated that I could not have kids. I was confused completely. She made it sound like I ruined her life, but turned out she was just afraid of what would happen to me. When I told her that I was pregnant, she disowned me and said she wanted nothing to do with me.

I had to go to work at that moment, but I could not stop crying. It was like pouring rain down my cheeks. I worked with the father of my child at the time and he asked me how it went. I explained what happened and he just held me tight at work. He did not care about the cameras or the associates.

He was there for me! I was not alone.

My child is almost 5 years old now and I have two others as well. Having my three kids helps me learn more each and every day. All three kids I was not ready for them, but I did not protect myself. So I was in what people may say, asking for it. My kids are my world, and even though I am still young, learning every day. I would not change anything for the world. Nothing is more important to me than my kids. I do what I can to make them happy. Every time I get home from work they run up to me smiling and give me the longest hug of all. That is how I know I am doing something right. Sure I still question things, but who doesn’t. People learn things every day.
Introducing the shesaid.so Parenthood Committee
Tags: Parenthood, Music Industry, Shesaidso

Introducing the shesaid.so Parenthood Committee

Working towards a more accessible and sustainable music industry for parents of all genders shesaid.so Dec 21, 2020·3 min read

The current global pandemic has brought the music industry to its knees. Strain has been seen disproportionately by parents crushed under the pressure of balancing career and increased family needs. What better moment to encourage parents in the music industry to connect and actively be part of change.

We started exchanging ideas around the possible activities of a committee advocating for parents shortly before Western lockdowns. We still hadn’t realised what was about to hit us.

The world where we were already struggling got even tighter and the worldwide pandemic magnified everything we already suffered. Possibly for the first time ever, everyone else seemed to notice: the juggle, the discrimination, the stigma.

We started working hard, exploring specific issues and opportunities, comparing situations from different countries, both in these extraordinary times as in our day to day lives. We have sparked conversation, held panels in international festivals and met so many inspiring people already.

We’re eager to meet, hear and see more, do more and achieve more. Together.

Who we are:

The shesaid.so parenthood committee is a community of parents within shesaid.so, formed to support and hear the voices of parents of all genders who are members or allies of shesaid.so. The committee’s objective is to provide a supportive and open platform to empower parents in the music industry, through sharing experiences and ideas, thus working towards a more accessible and sustainable music industry for parents. With intersectionality, diversity and inclusion being core values of the organisation, we hope to increase equality for all parents in the music industry.

Our mission:

Normalise being a parent in the industry.

Develop a network of allies who may be working with or alongside parents in the music industry.

Raise awareness of the unique challenges of being a parent as an artist or industry professional in the music industry.

Raise awareness of the importance of allies among artist and industry teams.

Acknowledge the unique challenges that mothers and gender minorities face in the music industry.

Use parents’ experiences to pioneer a better industry for all.

Increase respect for parents and the flexibility that may be required.

Encourage opportunities for research and data collection with respect to parents in the music industry, to inform the implementation of action and change.

Campaign for change to provide fairer parental leave and flexibility.

Create a worldwide anti-discrimination legal network.

What we do

Our community provides the opportunity for discussion amongst parents, where they can share their experiences and learn from one another. We offer members best-practices, resources, dedicated events and panels that aim to help parents in the music industry to thrive in their professional and family life.
A Space for Innocence
By: Camp Ihc
Tags: Education, Parenthood, Personal Development, Summer Camp, Childhood

For once I’m going to keep this short and sweet, and those of you who have been reading my essays for years know that this in itself will be difficult.

I’ve been thinking about this message for some time, as I navigated the last 9 months with an array of emotions that ranged from utter rage to an immense appreciation for silver linings. It’s been a roller-coaster.

2020 has been a lot. The pandemic has rocked our day to day sense of normalcy, and beyond Covid-19 there have been many social and political challenges. Our country feels like it’s reaching a fever pitch. Even though I work hard to protect my children from content beyond their years, I know that they are savvy, and, like many children, have been watching and listening.

I will always remain committed to raising my children to be tolerant of the things beyond human control, but intolerant of injustices within reach of our control. As a family we talk openly about our hopes for the world, and we try hard to educate each other in a way that promotes our core values of inclusivity and kindness. Although I am personally and professionally pushing hard on the glass ceilings, striving for my best to contribute towards an inclusive and loving world for all humankind, my hopes and dreams, which too frequently feel deflated, are often pinned tightly to my kids’ generations, hoping they can push the needle much, much, further.

But the heart of a Mother knows that this will come in good time. I know deep down I need to let them experience some carefree childhood first, before the responsibilities of adulthood engulf them.
Tummy time. How I have been finding ‘tummy time’ so…
By: Musings Of A Working Mum
Tags: Parenthood, Motherhood

Tummy time is what it says on the tin; you put your Little One (LO) on their tummy for incrementally increasing periods of time to help your LO develop.

Image from https://www.cleanpng.com/

LO used to love tummy time. I started doing snippets of tummy time as soon as his belly button development would allow. After a nappy change I would lay LO in his tummy for a few seconds. It then progressed to tummy time using a roll under his arms to help support him. After that it was just him lying on his tummy on his play mat. He loves being able to have a good look round and I get really excited with him, which he responds to ❤️ I’ve got some very fond memories of tummy time so far, including when he first started to hold his head up without it flopping down, when he started to use his arms to push up and support himself in a commando crawl position, him first rolling over from his tummy to his back…

For the last few weeks, however, tummy time has been rendered a redundant term. The reason? I put him on his tummy, with me making lots of excited/encouraging/congratulatory sounds, and LO rolls back onto his back almost instantaneously. It’s amazing to see, but I’ve been trying to keep him on his tummy long enough for me to play games that encourage him to crawl. We’ve reached a bit of an impasse though; he can’t (perhaps more correctly won’t) roll from his back to his tummy and as he immediately rolls from his tummy to his back I can’t play the games that encourage crawling. He would much rather contort himself to crazy angles to reach his toys rather than roll over for an easy grab 🤷🏻‍♀️ Baby logic!

Hopefully he will roll over from his back to his tummy one day soon. Having said that, perhaps he’ll bypass rolling and move to locomotion. I use the term “locomotion” because who knows if he’ll crawl or shuffle on his bum or perhaps do his own thing. When locomotion does occur we’ll have to batten down the hatches to ensure we can keep LO as safe as possible when he’s exploring!
That’s not what you wrote.
By: Daniel Goldman
Tags: Ethics, Parenthood, Gender, Abortion, Rights

That’s not what you wrote. You wrote: “A condom fails then neither party wants a pregnancy. There. With just a tiny bit of thought I trashed that view.”

Correct. Unwanted pregnancies can be the result of either party, or neither party.

You also seem to be under the impression this essay was written in response to news from last week. It was actually published last September.

True, I didn’t notice that at first, but at the same time, I think one reason why it’s receiving a lot of attention is because of that recent news.

Explaining that men cause pregnancy is not attacking men. Holding men accountable is not attacking men.

See? Men, men, men, men. You are attacking men, especially when you make a statement that isn’t true. Not all unwanted pregnancies are because of men.

The reverse happens to women daily — they are entirely blamed for unwanted pregnancies. Oddly, you didn’t acknowledge that.

Citation please? However, there are a few issues here, not the least of which is that whataboutism doesn’t work here, because I support abortion rights.
About Me & Mommy Index
By: Jane Chevalier
Tags: Parenthood, Mommy Bloggers, Pregnancy, Postpartum, Colorado

Hi Mamas, welcome! My name is Jane and I am the creator of Mommy Index. I have one son, Graham (5 months old) and I am a Colorado Native. My background includes Wellness, Medicaid, Non-Profits and Healthcare Management. I have my MS in Healthcare Management from the University of Denver. Having Graham radically changed everything — including my desire to stay at home with him while still finding a way to share my skills & education.

My birth experience transformed my mindset on the healthcare tools necessary to becoming a mom. Originally hoping to have a more “holistic” birth experience, it quickly became a more “medical” one, but opened my mind for the better by teaching me how important it is to remain flexible. My birth experience also reminded me to be thankful for modern day healthcare.

Mommy Index was born because I want to pass on all of the knowledge that was given to me — every business I recommend is one I’ve personally tried myself and have had a positive experience with. By combining my desire to help others, my love of research and the relationships I’ve built throughout my local community, I strive to do my best in guiding mamas towards the right resource based on their needs.

Mommy Index’s mission is twofold. First, to feature favorite & credible local businesses (AKA Colorado mom approved) throughout the Denver Metro area that focus on helping moms (pregnant, postpartum or early parenthood) through reviews on The List & interviews on The Blog. Besides vetted businesses, free community resources that are invaluable are included here, too. Second, to share evidence-based information regarding why these services are helpful, as well as other useful mommy tips.

Stay tuned! We will be organically releasing local businesses…please be patient as this takes time. Is there a business you love and want to nominate to be featured? Contact me at mommyindex@gmail.com.
Estate Planning — What is it and Do You Really Need it?
By: Jane Chevalier
Tags: Parenthood, Mommy Bloggers, Pregnancy, Postpartum, Colorado

By Jane Chevalier

Estate planing…what is it? Isn’t it something reserved for people later in their life or wealthy people only? Don’t you have to own a huge property or large “estate”? Shouldn’t you wait until you have children? Do you need to wait until you are “settled” in your career? Isn’t your spouse automatically included in your will once you marry them? Read on to find out the answers to these questions, and why estate planning is for everyone! Especially if you are pregnant, or planning on being pregnant.

First of all, what is an estate? An estate is everything you currently own — cars, home, bank accounts, investments, life insurance, pretty much EVERYTHING you own (Wealth Counsel 2021). Estate Planning is ensuring that when you pass away, all of your possessions will be given to someone or an organization that you care about (Wealth Counsel 2021). Yes, it’s a little bit of a downer to discuss, but a VERY important one!

Other benefits to Estate Planning:

Protects your children, ensuring they will be placed in the proper guardians hands (YES, without properly stating this in a will, a judge will decide who your child goes to if you become incapacitated or pass away)

Protects the right of your special needs child and benefits they receive

Protects your assets, ensuring they will be inherited to the proper person or organization (believe it or not, marrying someone does NOT automatically mean they inherit everything you own)

Enables your spouse, child or loved one to have access to your bank accounts & investments

Ensures that your medical wishes will be carried out in the event you become incapacitated

Minimizes court fees, taxes and unnecessary legal fees

The benefits go on, but to keep it focused and simple, as a parent, these are the most important aspects. If you want to know more, I suggest you contact one of our favorite Estate Planner’s on The List.

Who should do it:

Everyone!

But especially those who have dependents

When you should do it:

As soon as possible

When you find out you are pregnant

Before your baby is born

Not to sound morbid, but honestly, you never know when death knocks. The sooner you can create an estate plan, the better. My husband and I created our estate plan when we were pregnant as part of our birth plan, to ensure that in the event something horrible happened before or during baby’s birth, we were protected. This is not a fun subject to discuss, but it is so IMPORTANT to. Plan for the worst, but hope for the best!

References

Wealth Counsel, LLC. November 25, 2020. “What is Estate Planning?”. Accessed February 12, 2021, https://www.estateplanning.com/what-is-estate-planning
How to Help Kids Manage Anger
By: The Molly Coddle
Tags: Anger Management, Parenthood, Parenting Advice, Kids, Parenting

Some kids just seem to have a short fuse, but that doesn’t mean they can’t learn how to manage their anger.

Here are a few tips for teaching your child healthy anger management in everyday life. We are sure that it will help your little ones. 😊

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Tip 1: Create an anger thermometer on a piece of paper and ask your kid to match their anger. In this case, they will be able to know how they are behaving.

Tip 2: If you’re unsuccessful with tip 1, then don’t lose hope because we have some more ideas in our basket. There are certain situations when your kids have to control their anger whether they are in any social gathering, family meetings, school, playground, etc. So, instead of scolding them or blaming their behavior, you can ask them to try these activities.

1. Listen to Music: It’s a proven fact that listening to music can help in controlling anger among kids. It helps them to get distracted from their sadness or anger and instead they start tiptoeing on the music beats.

In one study (PDF) done at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, it was found that participants who listened to music after a stressful episode in their everyday lives reported decreased levels of stress when compared to individuals who didn’t listen to music after a stressful episode.

2. Count till 10: This is an old saying that if you are angry then count till 10 and if you are angrier then count till 100. But have you wondered how it works? Don’t worry, we will help you. It has a very simple logic behind this.

“The familiar childhood admonition of ‘counting to 10’ before taking action works because it emphasizes the two key elements of anger management — time and distraction,” says Johnston, PhD, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral science at Mercer University School of Medicine in Macon, Ga.

3. Take a Breath: We all know that when we angry then our breath gets quicker and shallow. And if that continues for a long then your might see some worse symptoms. So, the best way to calm your body is to slow and deepen your breathing.

4. Do Yoga: Here comes yoga in the picture. Try breathing slowly into your nose and out your mouth. Breathe deeply from your belly rather than your chest. It will help you in remaining calm and you can shut down from all the stress around you.

Try It: Corpse Pose (Savasana)

Lie down with your limbs gently stretched out, away from the body, with your palms facing up. Try to clear your mind while breathing deeply. You can hold this pose for 5 to 15 minutes.

If they practice these tips on a regular basis, we are sure they will be able to control their anger soon. Do let us know if you have any other ideas to control anger. ❤️

Note: If you wish to get a downloadable PDF for Anger Thermometer, kindly click here:
Musings of a Working Mum: Manicures and pedicures
By: Musings Of A Working Mum
Tags: Parenthood, Motherhood

Bath time

Initially I was anxious about washing/bathing Little One (LO) for two reasons:

Inadvertent drowning, and Fear he would freeze before we had time to dry him off.

In the early weeks we were “topping and tailing”. This involved washing LO in a container large enough for him to sit in. We’d first clean his head by holding him carefully over the container of water, resting him along my forearm like a rugby ball (hence “topping”). After drying his head we’d sit him in the container and support him while we washed the rest of him (hence “tailing”).

With respect to point (2), I always try to dry LO as quickly as possible to prevent too much heat loss. To help with this we got the baby towels with an inbuilt hood. For people in the know, they can probably do towel origami to make the hood. For me the inbuilt hood is definitely a win and makes everything so much easier.

He is now too large for topping and tailing and now uses a bath that he can sit in, which he loves. He loves to kick the water and splash his Mummy and Daddy – it’s the best ❤️
I stopped smoking cold turkey
By: Joanna Funk
Tags: Self Care, Smoking Cessation, Parenthood, Willpower, Love

I stopped smoking cold turkey

Photo by Lê Tit on Unsplash

Parenthood is a special magic. It’s a privilege with an expiry date and during that time you are bigger and better and stronger and smarter and the most formidable human being you could ever be. You can do this because you love someone more than you love yourself and — for a while — they really need you.

I stopped smoking on a Spring evening in London. I only smoked outside in the back garden, not in the house. My little son called for me, so I stubbed out the cigarette and brought the ashtray with me, muttering that I must try and quit one day, again.

I’d never managed to quit when I was single. When I was married if I tried to stop and was a bit ratty Husband (at that time) would say, “Oh shut up and have a fag.” Invariably I did.

Even when I was pregnant I still had a few cigarettes a week. We lived in the French countryside and I had wine too. I’m not proud, nor doing penance. It’s just what happened.

So when I breezily mentioned that thought about quitting, my five-year-old asked:

“Why do you want to quit?”

“See that brown stuff there?” I pointed to the sticky tar around the sides. “That goes into my lungs and there’s a chance I could die early. ”

Who knows what ‘early’ means to a five-year-old. It might mean next week. But when I was getting him ready for bed he held my face in his little hands, his big eyes full of tears.

Mummy I don’t want you to die early. You must stop smoking now.

Two immediate thoughts. One, if I don’t stop now, I’m telling him I don’t love him enough to try and live longer. Two, one day I will ask him not to take drugs. I can’t control that outcome, but if I don’t stop smoking, I won’t even have a leg to stand on to ask.

“Okay,” I said.

He ran to the kitchen, took my pouch of Old Holborn and rolling papers and threw them into the tall kitchen bin. In my mind I saw myself at midnight delving into vegetable peelings and worse to get to it. After years of recycling mountains of dog ends in ashtrays, how bad was digging into a garbage bin?

“We need to do better,” I said. Let’s go to the bathroom.”

I took the pouch out of the bin and together we held all the tobacco under a running bathroom tap, squishing it in our fingers until it was all wet. I can’t remember if I flushed it all down the toilet or if it went back in the bin. But the deed was done.

I was 37 and over it. I’ve never had a cigarette since nor wanted one. Today I’m 58. I love the smell of other people’s smoke and enjoy being around it once in a while. But I made a promise to my son, which was better than any promise I could have made to myself at that time.

Parenthood. It’s a superpower.
Growing pains for Mama
By: T. H. Mcclung, She Her S
Tags: Daily Blog, Parenthood, Year 49, Motherhood, Working Moms

Growing pains for Mama

Photo by William Fortunato from Pexels

My kids used to hold on to my legs and beg me not to leave the house. Lately, a lot of times when I leave to go to work, they are with their friends or otherwise occupied. The last couple of nights, they have both been home when I’ve been leaving. Last night as I gathered my stuff up for rehearsal, I walked through the house yelling toward their closed bedroom doors,

“Bye babies! Mommy has to go to work now. Do you want to come hold on to my legs and beg me not to leave you?”

There was absolutely no response.

They are both teenagers. There was a time in their life when I worked a full-time job AND stage managed productions. I would spend an hour or two with them in the afternoons between the two. We would have supper early, so that we could eat together, then I would have to head out the door.

It is funny to me that there can be such things that one absolutely hates and loves at the same time. I’m just selfish enough to find it ego-boosting to have my children crying and begging me to stay home.

The problem with that kind of ego-boosting is that it doesn’t last. Just like all ego-boosting, it is temporary. Not only did I feel horrible most nights as I drove out of the driveway, but they simply do not care now. They still love me, but my being inside the house or outside the house has very little impact on how their evening is going to go.

I do know that Hubby and the two of them sat down at the dinner table tonight for a family meal sans Mama. It makes me sad to have missed something that does not happen as regularly as it once did. At the same time, it brings me a lot of joy knowing that they had that time together.

There are only 10 days between their birthdays. Three years and ten days. We are in that space between the two birthdays right now. Of course, I become extremely reflective at this time of year. How did we go from them holding onto my legs begging me not to go to them living in their own little worlds regardless of what I do? How did it happen so quickly?

Everyone always tells you that it will go by fast. And, if you are like me, you believe them when they say it. It is just that nothing could prepare you for how fast it really feels.

My kids don’t hold on to my legs and cry when I leave the house anymore. And, I may wistfully long for the days when they did, but I am also very grateful for the young people they have become.

Now, I hold on to them and beg them not to leave me.
Start with the Heart. ❤
By: Martial Arts Advantage
Tags: Parenthood, Parenting Advice, Life Lessons, Kids, Parenting

Parents, have you ever tried to reason with your child when they’re in full meltdown mode? If your experience has ever been like mine, you’ve quickly realized that it is the hardest to speak to a child when they’re in tears and emotionally stressed out.

In that moment, they need an emotional shift, a different mind and physical state. Have you ever seen a child seemingly get hurt, start to feel those emotions swell, but then realize that if they dwell they’re going to miss out on a game…so, they brush it off and go back to smiling and playing? Sometimes it’s like, “What kind of sorcery did I just witness?!” Their emotional state was trumped by their physical state and desire to continue to play the game.

Use that knowledge to your Advantage. That’s how we gain the trust, respect, and compliance of our students. We act on the intersection of what’s best for them and what THEY WANT for themselves. So, if they’re having a tough moment, we don’t power through their emotions or try to drown out their feelings by getting louder…we change their state, then we help them.

The great part is…we do this when they’re having a great moment too. It’s always “strong emotional connection,” “excited physical state” first.

If these are messages you’d like your child to hear more often, consider taking Advantage of our new student trial to test drive our programs. Learn more here: www.maa.ninja

Or text me any questions you have at 813–421–2727

#takeADVANTAGE
Lest I Forget — The Inspirational Life Of My Mother (Happy 58th Birthday)
By: Tapiwa Zuze
Tags: Mothers, Parenthood, Motherhood, Family, Parenting

My mother encountered a very tough upbringing. Her father and mother met in colonial Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). They had both come to Rhodesia as immigrants in search of work. My grandfather came from Mulanje, Malawi; while my grandmother was a Basotho from South Africa. The two stayed together as husband and wife, and were blessed with two daughters; Shelta (my mother) and Margaret (my mother’s younger sister). During my grandparents’ stay together, they never introduced each other to their relatives; neither did they make any efforts to explain the same to their children.

Sometime in 1970, when my mother was in Sub B (the equivalence of Grade 2 in modern Zimbabwe); my grandfather was arrested at a mine where he was working. He was accused of having stolen a raw mineral stone (presumably with gold). That accusation was neither tried in a competent court of law, nor supported by any exhibits. The word of the colonial white men who supervised him were enough “proof and evidence” to seal his fate. He was subsequently banished from Rhodesia with a Prohibited Immigrant (PI) status; and got deported back to Malawi. He never got a chance to kiss his wife or daughters goodbye. Whether he arrived alive in Malawi or not, that has never been proved to this day. His family, us included; never saw him again. We don’t have any picture of him at home; neither do we even know his name!

My grandmother; whose name was Anna; lived on with her two daughters after her husband had been banished back to his homeland. Unfortunately, due to the colonial segregation and societal imbalances, both her daughters dropped out of school. That sealed the educational fate of my mother and her younger sister; Margaret.
The thoughts of a new mother at 3am
By: Kendell Abrams
Tags: Parenthood, Blessings, Motherhood, Prayer

My first child, Macy, was born in February. My husband, Spencer, and I have officially been parents for two months now. These past two months have been filled with many highs and lows. Through these highs and lows there have been countless late nights and early mornings with my baby girl while she is eating. These feedings have become my praying, thinking, and reflecting time.

For me motherhood has been filled with stress about many things, but the hardest thing about motherhood has been the completely unpredictable and spontaneous wake-up calls. The 3am cry for food or the middle of the day screams as I lay down for a nap after a sleepless night. Before welcoming Macy to the world, my husband and I would often sleep for 8–9 hours a night. I joke that we are so good together because we both love to sleep so much. We knew that parenthood would be hard on our sleep habits, but I never realized how hard it would really be.

A few nights ago, Macy and I were having one of those rough nights. I sat down in the rocker with my baby girl and gave her a bottle for the umpteenth time. As we rocked I found myself spiraling through my frustrations “Am I really cut out for this?… This is ridiculous, just sleep Macy… Have I jumped into parenting too soon?… Will I ever get to spend time relaxing with Spencer again?…” As these thoughts continued to spiral I began to cry and started praying.

Through these prayers I was quickly reminded of all the blessings I have been given. We have been given a healthy, strong, beautiful baby girl. We have a roof over our heads. And every time Macy finishes a feeding I can lay her down in a warm and safe crib while I get to crawl back into my cozy bed with a loving and kind husband.

In the middle of the lows, I needed a reminder. I needed the reminder that going through these “tough times” is a blessing. I needed the reminder that the things I am complaining and stressing about are things that someone else out there is wishing, praying, and hurting for. So the next time you are having a tough time think about me and Macy at 3am in her nursery rocking. Take a moment to let out your own tears and frustrations. Then ask yourself, is someone else out there asking for the blessing that you are currently complaining about?
Memoirs of Midlife…
By: Saira Batlay
Tags: Midlife Women, Parenthood, Motherhood, Mental Health, Midlife

Memoirs of Midlife…

Midlife. Never knew it would hit like a truck. From an alarmingly low short term memory, to cricks in knees and other very relevant joints …one never truly appreciates their ‘relevance’ as vital body parts until they Ache and Creak, and threaten to give way if left neglected. Suddenly giving the little one a bath is more than a tedious daily chore, add an aching back to the chore and you have a monumental task to dread at the completion of an already gruelling day. Long gone are the days when my older one saw me leisurely bending and straightening in a rather agile manner, while humming the strains of some well liked nursery rhyme. Out of the tub the toddler would be swung in one smooth motion…as opposed to lending an arm to the poor babe for some very nominal support in climbing out..aah, the days of youth, fleeting and definitely unappreciated…

The list of woes is rather long to account for without slipping into a realm of monotony and boredom, but satire aside, the nostalgia that seeps in at this mid life junction can very easily be a drain on the vitality of life, and can tug you slowly but surely into darker regions, unfamiliar and unexplored.

Suddenly slices of life gone by flash by you, while eating, waking, driving and performing other trivialities of life.

All is well, yet it is not. The transience of existence lashes at you cruelly in seeing the wrinkles grow on your parents faces, the gray hairs increase, the posture more stooped every time you care to glance their way. The pride with nuances of bittersweet pain of watching the children fast growing, needs growing even faster, the fear of overlooking or letting them go unfulfilled…

Rewind ten years, tears and fears of another sleepless night, tending to a bawling baby, all gone by in a jiffy, now seeming too petty to have wasted time wallowing in self pity….

Friends, meetings arranged after going over the kids busy schedule, the zest and enthusiasm of planning lost somewhere between the passing years, yet again reminiscing replaces dreaming, the memory lane is now the path pursued. Pit stops and landmarks along the path arouses youthful flashes of escapades never to be ventured on again…
10 ways parents can help kids learn with fun and creativity!
By: Supdup Kids
Tags: Kids Activities, Parenthood, Parenting Advice, Kids, Parenting

With kids having to stay indoors due to the pandemic, parents have taken the place of peers. It becomes the responsibility of the parents to help kids learn with fun and creativity.

How can parents do that? Well, here are 10 ways:

#1- Play with them

Like we mentioned above, it is imperative for parents to become friends with their children, even if it means going several years down in age. Playing with kids helps parents develop a sense of understanding and harmony with them.

#2- Sit through classes with them

Sitting with kids in their class not only ensures that you know what is being taught to them but it also gives them a companion to attend class with. However, do not do this every day else your kid will become used to your constant presence during classes which may pose a problem later.

#3- Expose them to good content

In a world brimming with content, it falls on parents to pick and choose the ones for their kids that will ensure both learning and fun.

#4- Actively listen

Always listen to your kids actively. You never know what new ideas may emerge in the process and where you can help them hone it.

#5- Accommodated them in chores

Chores teach kids life skills. Don’t exclude your kids from this process. Ask them for help. It will make them more helpful as grown-ups.

#6- Experiment with what kids have learned

One of the best ways to learn is to experiment with it or implement it in our daily lives. Help kids perform science experiments at home as well as implement good lessons learned in class.

#7- Enroll them in fun workshops

Workshops enable skill-based learning and ensure a lot of fun. Enroll your kids in one that interests them and see how fast and well they grow and learn. One such app that makes workshops available to kids is SupDup. SupDup’s wide range of workshops makes it an attractive destination for all kids and their parents.

#8- Support them in their endeavours

As parents, it’s your duty to be cautious but don’t let that come in the way of allowing your kids to explore on their own and start their own journeys and endeavours.

#9- Make sure there’s interaction in learning

You can’t create a school for your kids but you can ensure you choose a good one — one that conflates interaction, fun and learning.

#10- Prepare them for challenges

Make your kids ready for the future. Expose them to new and fun challenges everyday — could be as small as cleaning the cupboard or learning how to tally.

Kids become smarter when the parenting is smarter. So make sure you do it right.
My Parents Telling Me How to Live My Life
By: Paul Simos
Tags: Parentsneed, Parenthood, Coach, Parents With Purpose, Parents

My Parents Telling Me How to Live My Life

It is the TET Season now which is the start of the Chinese New Year…

Here in Vietnam it’s the tradition to return to your parents place in the provinces and home towns…

It’s a lovely time of the year to kick back and relax with family and friends…

One of the challenges I hear of adults going back home to visit their parents is a conflict in beliefs and Behavior…

Different generation have different ideas and beliefs, hence different ways of running their lives…

Even though we may think our way is more updated and better, other people have their own way of operating…

One of the beliefs as a coach, if you like, is to “respect the other persons model of the world”…

It’s a great presupposition for everyone to adopt that will make all of our lives more comfortable and enjoyable…

Essentially, this is how it works in practice…

For example…

We respect our parents beliefs and the way they want to run their lives…

It doesn’t mean we agree…

It just means we respect their way of doing things…

It’s not our job to change our parents or anyone unless they specifically asked for help…

When we respect our parents this way we too ask for the same respect to live our lives, as adults, the way we want to live them…

Listen up…

So to make our visit back home more enjoyable please, please remember to respect the other persons model of the world, listen to them, enjoy their company, and support them by your presence and attention which doesn’t mean you agree…

If we listen and observe their model of the world, who knows, we may even learn something…

There’s no right or wrong in this case it’s just a choice and if it works for them, great…

Understand this…

When I would call mom to see what she wanted for the New Year, she would always say, Paul, I don’t need anything other than spending time with you…

It brings a tear to my eye now that mom is already in a happy place…

Here’s the deal…

When visiting our parents this TET Season or any other time, just be there with them as I’m sure that’s all that they really want…

Love your parents…

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/-eBg8fLFrQM

Love
Crowdfunding — The Future of Finance 💸
Tags: Cryptocurrency, Fintech, Loans, Crowdfunding, Blockchain

Crowdfunding loans are gaining in popularity. As traditional techniques to attain credit is regularly becoming more difficult, technology has brought alternatives to the market.

Platforms such as Raise have been built with the vision of using crowdfunding to create financial equality globally. This is being made possible with the help of blockchain technology and the vast changes that occur daily within the fin-tech sector.

Forget the banks. The requirements for borrowers are becoming tougher and tougher as each day passes.

There are also millions of people who are unbanked or underbanked within the developing world.

Let’s take The Philippines for example. When Raise was envisioned by the team at Hero Token, they had researched that 99% of the 56 million Filipinos that use a mobile device have Facebook, yet over 70% of the whole population are either unbanked or underbanked.

These facts are crazy! That’s why they used their extensive experience within finance to create a solution with the uprising ability that blockchain technology has to offer.

Crowdfunding while leveraging blockchain technology allows businesses and people to raise the funds needed to provide a stronger future for themselves and the generations after them.

Goodbye to traditional ways of getting a loan

There are plenty of positives to Crowdfunding….

It’s a fast, easy and painless way for a borrower to find the money and the lender to offer their money. Matching lenders to the borrowers is a simple process and dependant on which platform they use. For example, Raise will be implementing a ‘Dutch auction’ which will create a swift, easy and hassle-free platform to match lenders and borrowers.

The lender has the ability to choose where their money goes. Every crowdfunding platform allows borrowers to use their website as a free marketing tool where they will ‘sell themselves’ with the hope that people will become invested in their ideology and why they need the money. Far more transparent than traditional ways of raising money.

Transparency and openness reduces the risks for the lender. Borrowers will make it very clear as to why they want to use the money and what it is for. Lenders have the chance to see everything up-front and choose whether they want to place their trust in that borrower. The risk is reduced radically.

The benefits for those that receive the money are truly life-changing. Using crowdfunding techniques in developing countries will realistically bring positive changes that could see global equality. The chance to distribute the funds to create a better local economy, better opportunities for education and increase the likelihood of better healthcare for all is not to be missed.

Goodbye to traditional lending. The future is crowdfunding. The opportunities are plenty and the risk is minimal. Be a part of our journey and sign up to Raise today.