Blog Day Afternoon

Over the last couple of year I've been a regular reader of a blog about a girl who wrote her experiences about getting married, post-wedding life and then her pregnancy and now motherhood.

This summer, while I was back in Karachi, I got a chance to meet up with her and see her son. It was a remarkable experience to watch things come in full circle. Although it was a bit weird at first... we were complete strangers, who knew so much about each other! But we had a good laugh about that too.

That's the great thing about blogging. It really connects people.

Jammie, Mona and I were pregnant at the same time. I used to read their blogs every day. Even though we didn't know each other, we had so much in common. It was great fun to read their experiences and their mind set as things progressed. As we continue on our ways, it is these people who will be a part of my life as I work my way around parenting my kids. Their experiences and stories make me smile and I can always relate to them. Write on ladies... you brighten up my day!

Thanks Jammie, for a lovely afternoon. It was a treat to see you and your son.

The Day's Re-Cap, through little eyes

Every night when I am putting Iman to bed, I make sure to have a conversation. I ask her about her day, and the things that happened. And through her words, I get to see the little things that she found important. Although we spent the day together, and I saw the things that she saw, and I did the things that she did, our perspectives often differ. I really enjoy hearing her point of view. She recounts simple things, things that made her happy.

In the weeks that I have been doing this, I have noticed that not once does she mention the upsetting things that happened that day. She remembers her life for all the good that it contained. And as her mom, it makes me happy to know that in her thoughts, the world is a wonderful place to live in, and in her life she has all the contentment anyone could need.

Baby Fat

Everyone seems to think that it's ok to tell me that I've put on weight. Since when was this acceptable behavior? I thought that politeness requires people to remain quiet. In my case, I have been forced to say "It's just baby fat, and I haven't started working it off yet."

Re-Defining Roles

This post is dedicated to an age old problem... the joint family vs. nuclear family living situation.

Since we raise our kids in Dubai, there is no one there to influence or guide our parenting strategies, but whenever I come to Karachi, I see the flip side of the coin. It carries several pros and cons, but always proves to be a strong learning experience for me.

During this trip, Iman is a little bit older, and she has learned to use her grandparents as a defence. Initially, I wasn't prepared to handle the situation, so I always ended up looking like the bad guy. No matter how I tried to manipulate the scene, I was the "angry bad mom" who was being cruel to her child. All credit to Iman, for being able to "outsmart" me.

But in time I learned a valuable lesson. I will always be her mom, a figure of love and support, no matter how evil I may be. On the other hand, her grandparents will always hold a special place in her heart. People who can be a part of her tricks, and giggle with her when mom catches them in the act. I just have to learn to appreciate their contirbutions in her life and learn to love the role they play, because parents will be parents, and grandparents will be the ones to guide them as well as being their friends.

Instead of being threatened by the role that grandparents play, I should embrace it. I should let them nurture their bond with Iman, knowing that with them, she is in safe hands. And maybe in time, when she might not want to confide in me, she can go to them, becuase like me, they will love her just the same.

Travel Tales

Every time I go to the airport, I always buy a magazine at the magazine stand. Call it plane reading or just plain tradition, but it's something I have done at all airports.

This time, with Iman in hand and Ayzah in lap, I had the right intention, and I even made it to the magazine stand, but there weren't enough hands to pick up the magazine. But all the better, because there wasn't any time to read anyways.