The Kids’ Cupboard

Last updated on: July 8, 2013 at 11:15 am By Admin GrowMama

With three under five, it’s hard to keep track of the clothes they’ve outgrown, those that are still too big, and those that have graduated into hand-me-downs. So, every few weeks, a ceremony takes place where the contents of the kids’ cupboard are regurgitated, sorted and returned, after much rolling around in the clothes pile (by the two-year-old) and some rudimentary folding practice (by the four-year-old). These sessions always serve to bring home just how fast they are growing (the... Read more

One Mother Shares Her Adoption Experience

Last updated on: July 8, 2013 at 11:23 am By Admin GrowMama

1. What were the biggest obstacles when you first considered adoption and how did you overcome them? The first thing I needed to figure out for myself was whether adoption is allowed in Islam. I had a sheikh explain the differences between fostering and adoption. Then I learned the advantages of breastfeeding. This combined knowledge gave me the confidence needed when faced with naysayers. My other worry was about how my family would handle it. I am from South Africa,... Read more

Discovering Your Passion, Fulfilling Your Life Vision

Last updated on: July 8, 2013 at 11:26 am By Admin GrowMama

How many of us dream of having the most righteous and successful family? How many of us envision ourselves making a profound difference in the world? How many of us ultimately dream of the highest level in Jannah, Al-Firdaws? Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him was indeed one of the forerunners in teaching us about great ambition and doing all we can with ihsan (excellence). He (peace be upon him) was the first to encourage us to dream bigger as... Read more

A House Concert

Last updated on: July 8, 2013 at 11:47 am By Admin GrowMama

We recently attended a house concert by singer Dawud Wharnsby, hosted by our friends who graciously opened up their living room to more than twenty families. The radiant atmosphere and top-notch entertainment were second only to the faces of children rapt with attention. I’ll try hard not to gush here, but our family was touched by the evening. It was refreshing to finally meet the down-to-earth, gentle entertainer who can make the audience laugh and sing and cry within the... Read more

Well-Worn Family Treasure

Last updated on: July 8, 2013 at 11:52 am By Admin GrowMama

I sat in my weekly study circle the other day, and had a blast from the past moment. I thumbed through the book we were studying, and couldn’t help but be blown away for a few minutes. I was holding in my hand a well-worn family treasure, and I was the lucky one who owned it now. Even though I didn’t think I deserved it, I was blown away with Allah’s mercy on me that it now lay in my... Read more

Counselor’s Corner- Controlling Parental ‘Hot Spots’

Last updated on: April 2, 2012 at 5:00 am By Admin GrowMama

Every time I vow not to act a certain way with my kids, I end up doing it again. There seems to be these certain “hot spots” that really irritate me about my children. Like when my daughter’s handwriting is not legible or when she cries after a not-so-horrible fall. I know that these things are not that bad, but for some reason when I see them, I turn into someone I cannot recognize. Deep down inside I know that... Read more

GrowMama Roundup: The Season of Motherhood

Last updated on: July 8, 2013 at 11:53 am By Admin GrowMama

A constant question that arises in our minds as mothers is how we can maintain individual fulfillment while making sure that our children are being nurtured and cared for. One of our GrowMama mothers posited the question this way: Why is the mother’s role frequently limited to raising leaders instead of being leaders, or being the seekers of change? Am I raising two girls so that they will raise more girls who will raise more girls? Sometimes I wonder when... Read more

The Luxury of Choice

Last updated on: March 27, 2012 at 5:00 am By Admin GrowMama

One of the basic attitudes a Muslim tries to embody is that obedience to Allah (swt) is a blessing from Allah (swt). We are not doing any favors to Allah by obeying Him; rather, we are honored by being allowed to be in His obedience. Feeling arrogant in our obedience is a trick of Shaitan, from which we ask protection. Sometimes I wonder, however, if we carry this attitude to other things beyond acts of obedience – praying, fasting… you... Read more

On Motherhood and International Diplomacy

Last updated on: March 26, 2012 at 5:00 am By Admin GrowMama

Our decision to have a baby came about three years after we were married. Initially, we planned to do a whole list of things (including buying a house) and then start trying. But on the night of January 5, 2002 while driving home from the hospital after visiting our friends’ newborn baby, I told him, “That’s it. I want to start trying.” Exactly one year and four days later on January 9, 2003 we were blessed with twins: a boy... Read more

The Woman I Met

Last updated on: March 22, 2012 at 5:00 am By Admin GrowMama

I met you in the park today. You were playing with a little girl, who looked to be your grand daughter. You asked me where I was from, then told me you were from out of town, taking care of the little two-year-old, while her dad was in the hospital, dying of brain cancer. You said it so matter-of-factly, I could tell you were way past grieving. He was only 34 years old, and the cancer had been in remission... Read more