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The Everlasting Impact Of A Father
Growing up without a father meant that, among other things, I always found it difficult to understand and appreciate the dynamics and beauty of a relationship between a father and his child(ren)… That is, until I got married. It was a strange sight to see. The love and adoration my kids feel for this man that holds my heart! To be honest, I still struggle to fully understand it. I never knew it as a child, so it still surprises me a little when I see the unbridled love and affection my kids have for their father. My lack of understanding notwithstanding, it’s a beautiful sight to behold! Relationship I…
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Cesarean vs Vaginal Birth
I saw a post on Facebook about having a cesarean that really struck a nerve with me. And I’ve been thinking about how I can discuss the issue it dealt with in a way that honours all the varied opinions on it… but I guess there is no better way than to just be HONEST! (So here goes.) In the post, it was proclaimed that c-section birth is inferior in every way to vaginal birth and that we do our children a disservice by not choosing a vaginal birth over a c-section… I am fed up (to put it mildly) with all the noise regarding which birthing choice is better!…
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I strongly disagree with the guilt-inducing practice of placing unnecessary pressure on moms to breastfeed.
According to the department of health: “Breastfeeding week aims to influence attitudes and behaviours of the public to recognise (and encourage others) that exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months of life is the norm and the optimal way of feeding an infant for optimal growth and development.” Here’s my beef with things like “Breastfeeding Week”… Although I do believe that breastmilk is the best food for babies, I strongly disagree with the guilt-inducing practice of placing unnecessary pressure on moms to breastfeed “exclusively” as the health department would like us to. It leans too easily in the direction of shaming moms who do not breastfeed exclusively (many of whom…
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Why I Detest Playing Board Games With My Children
Being a mother of 5 children comes with challenges of it’s own (Like trying to get them to all smile in a photo). Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to have fewer children… would I have more time, more patience, more enthusiam to get engaged? Obviously I could never know. Let me say right at the outset: from an emotional and mental point of view, I don’t believe there is any difference between having one child or having ten children. Our children receive all of the love and energy we can muster. The challenge with larger families is mainly a logistical one. My brain is constantly focused on…
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Why Won’t My Brain Listen Mommy?
I won’t lie, it has been one hell of a journey, and my patience and understanding have not always been what it should have. But the moment my son walked up to me, crying, and said “Mommy, my brain makes me do things that I don’t want to do”, I knew it was his way of telling me that he needed help. There are so many statistical articles about ADHD, outlining the causes and possible remedies. As a former teacher with qualifications in Psychology, I know the facts and I’m sure that I could fill this post with fancy words and descriptions that would probably be skimmed over, but as…
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Barbie-inspired Ice cream dreams
Who doesn’t love Barbie and all that she stands for in this generation. The new 1.8L Ola Barbie ice cream tub, which is currently available in-store, is South Africa’s first licensed ice cream tub aimed at the kids market. Inspired by Barbie’s favourite colour, it consists of three dreamy streams of ice-cream, strawberry, raspberry and vanilla, all swirled together to create the ultimate pink taste sensation. But it is the packaging that makes this product truly stand out from the crowd. In-line with Barbie’s global marketing campaign to remind little girls that “You can be Anything”, the ice cream is packaged in four unique, career-themed tubs, decorated with artwork that…
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ItsOK Linky #29
A new week, a new link up!!! I wrote quite an emotional peice this week… Not really a mom fail on my part, but more of a dad fail on my father part. And when I see other men do the same… It makes my blood boil! I do hope you enjoy reading it, I will be hosting this week and I look forward to reading all your posts, over a hot cuppa tea! What’s this linky about? In a sentence, it’s about cutting ourselves some slack as parents. We’ve all been there – that place where we feel we’re not doing our best as mums or dads, that we…
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Week 25 #itsok Linky
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Dear Herschelle Gibbs, from a child that could have been more, if my dad had paid maintenance.
I get that you might not want to be a dad right now, or ever. I understand that it might seem overwhelming. And that you might not love your son’s mother. That this is not the season for you to be a dad. I get it all, and I don’t judge you for it. However. Even though you don’t want to be a part of your son’s life, or that of his mother, I feel it imperative that I speak out. You see, being raised by a single mom, I believe that had my father paid a monthly contribution to my upbringing, I maybe could have been more, achieved more,…
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Why Mother’s Day Means More To Me Now Than It Did Before
I wanted to write this post for last years mothers day, but as we all know, life just gets so busy and I put it aside. Now, that I get to experience yet another Mothers Day, I thought it high time I put pen to paper. Yesterday (the 11th of May, 2019), as we celebrated my son’s 2nd birthday, I sat watching my children run around and explore… busy, adventurous and with a zest for life that, I must admit, I wish I had. I sat there thinking about what their lives would have turned out to be; if I had died (I know this sounds depressing, but stay with…
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What I Want My Girls To Learn From Caster Semenya
Imagine the possibility of taking a sneak peak through the looking glass of your little girl’s future… not to see what she might become, what career path she may choose to follow, or who she may choose to love and share life with… but to anticipate some of the struggles and challenges she will face, some of the criticism she will endure, some of the opposition she will confront. Now take that little girl, with all her fanciful dreams and unbridled aspirations, and tell her about these struggles, challenges, criticism and opposition you’ve seen (for these things will surely come!). But what would you want her to leave that conversation…
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Why we should talk to our children about voting, X’sê!
As parents there are many topics we just never discuss with our children, especially when they’re younger. Perhaps because we think they’re not ready for it, or that they wouldn’t understand it; perhaps because we just don’t have the energy to explain, or to face all the awkward questions that may follow. With the General Elections on May 8th just around the corner, here are 5 reasons why we should talk to our children about voting. We have a voice… One of the most powerful aspects of democracy is that the voice of the people matter – and that it matters because the voice of every person matters. It’s not…
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Week 25 #itsok Linky
A new week, a new link up!!! Thank you to everyone that joined our little group of linkers last week! I have been so busy organising the launch of South Africa’s (Yup that’s where I am from) newest most brutal and honest parenting platform, along with my awesome partner Leigh Tayler of The Ugly Truth Of Being A Mom. Parenty believes in a world with more than one story of parenthood. And we are here to offer a voice to them all. Parenty is a space for parents to escape to, to find comfort in, to share and listen, to seek and find, to laugh, cry and rage. I won’t…
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ItsOK Linky #29
