1) You don’t need a ridiculous amount of money saved in order to have a child. Allah has opened so many doors for us right after our daughter was born and this has been observed by many other parents as well. 2) It is not socially acceptable to describe the size or consistency of your baby’s dirty diaper in public. 3) Parenting while plugged in is an oxymoron. We’ve been trying to be mindful of how often we are... Read more
From baby foods to Eid desserts those pot holders were with me for miles and miles of labored love. Read more
“Nothing makes us so lonely as our secrets.” – Paul Tournier I have found that the most wonderful experiences in life can also be the most isolating. Marriage for example, is a wonderful companionship; however you can feel very alone when things aren’t as Disney promised they would always and forever be. You look around for someone going through a similar situation yet all you find are perfect marriages. Parenting is too a wonderful companionship that delivers on more... Read more
“Maryam, what do you want to take with you to Tata’s house today: your laptop or baby?” I asked my 1.5 year old. Yes, she already has a toy laptop and even though I consider her my baby, she already has a baby doll of her own. Today she chose the baby. SubhanAllah, she already has motherly qualities about her. She cares for its hat, gives it a blanket to sleep with, and pushes it in a stroller appropriate for... Read more
There are many differences between children raised in America and children raised in other parts in the world. But there’s one aspect in raising children that most people believe comes from the home and not the country the child lives in. Manners. However, in a recent visit to Palestine, I couldn’t help but notice that well-raised children have better manners than well-raised children in America. When I say well-raised I refer to children that come from a nurturing and caring... Read more
I read something a while back that touched me so deeply that I know I’ll never forget it. It was an article on separation anxiety and the author explained that this happens in babies around 6 months old because before that they have no idea that we, their mothers, are separate beings from them. Before 6 months they think we’re actually physically connected and only begin to realize this is not the case at around 6 months when they begin... Read more
My husband and I traveled to my parents’ house for Thanksgiving weekend. We were prepared with diapers, our laundry, and the ingredients for the cornbread stuffing. We were also ready to sit with our siblings. Thanksgiving day would bring both sets of in-laws, mine as well as my older brother’s, and it promised to be an eventful day. For the “kids” (ages range from 16-27), it would include stuffing our faces with all the delicious food that we wished would... Read more
A few weeks ago I went with my family to the WALK NOW FOR AUTISM walk, in Washington, D.C. Groan. Talk about walking three miles with two two-year-olds who don’t want to walk at the pace of the other hundreds of people. Or with your group. Or with Mama or Baba. Or according to anyone else’s wishes. Nope. Two-year-olds walk the way THEY want to. So we started at 10 a.m. By 10:05 we were way behind our group. By... Read more
The Prophet (saw) narrated the story of the Pharoah’s hairdresser who was combing the hair of Pharoah’s daughter and dropped her comb on the ground. “Bismillah, in the name of God,” she blurted as she bent down to pick it up. She and her four children were burnt to death because of this slip of tongue and then her refusal to deny her belief in Allah. Her baby was one of the few who spoke in infancy, reassuring her in... Read more
The Pacifier. Yes, I capitalized the P. Where do I begin? My son hated it the day he was born. On day two, while getting circumcised, the doctor was trying to force it to stay in his mouth. I guess other baby boys don’t scream during the procedure. I thought the doctor was going to tape it over his mouth. My son must’ve gotten the point, because he suddenly took it. And kept it. Nineteen months later, I’m trying to... Read more
Grow Mama Grow
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In