By Vanessa Waithera
Writing has always been my source of comfort, I managed to find sanity through my words, especially when the weight of motherhood took a toll on me. As a writer and digital marketing strategist, I get excited when creating all sorts of content about motherhood on social media platforms. When I am not writing you'll find me in the kitchen trying to make cookies out of Weetabix for my little one or watching historical documentaries on Netflix.
Instead of teaching kids about ‘stranger danger’ you need to teach children to spot bad behaviour everywhere
The number one safety rule that we teach our kids is to not talk to strangers. This topic is usually a bit confusing for kids because who is a stranger anyway? Is it the person you’ve never seen before? Or is it a person you don’t know too well? As you get older you learn […]
The Unique Role of Fathers: Why Mothers Can’t Replace Them
I used to be one of those mums who would wish mothers a happy Father’s Day, as a matter of fact, I almost formed a committee of single mothers who doubled up as dads as well. People forget that for every single mother, there’s a man who either didn’t take responsibility, passed away, is ill, […]
The Challenges Single Mothers Face in Making Mum Friends
I was 23 when I found out I was pregnant, so you can imagine that a good number of my friends were not mothers yet, I belonged to a group of young adults and if you think about it, I had only been out of my teens for 4 years and now I was having […]
Breaking the Double Standard: Why Fathers Should be Held to Equal Standards as Mothers
When I became a mum, there was this weight placed on me from day 1, it felt like there was a stash of perfectionism and instincts that I had received as soon as I birthed my son. It’s all in the comments people make as they remind you that you were created for this moment, […]
The Truth About Motherhood: Why It’s Okay to Not Love Every Moment
I wasn’t one of those girls who played with dolls and thought, “Wow one day I want to do this all by myself” Instead, as a firstborn, I thought about how much I wanted a sister and thankfully, my little sister was born, she was such a blessing to my life despite our age gap. […]
The Unpaid Labour of Motherhood: Why Stay-at-Home Mums Should Receive a Salary
Before becoming a mum, I said things like “Why should stay-at-home mums get paid?” I spoke from a point of ignorance and many times I imagined that all they had to do was stay home and sleep. As girls are raised to become women, this dream is sold to them, the dream is that staying […]
Staying married for the kids is not the right thing to do
I had a friend who had two kids and a financially stable husband and she was a housewife. She was the kind of traditional wife who would do everything for her unloving husband and her loving children. The first time Brian laid his hands on her, she was heavily pregnant, she stumbled on the table […]
Gentle Parenting Sets Unrealistic Expectations on Parents and It’s Time to Stop
I was brought up in a strict household, sometimes a bit too strict. The level of strictness sometimes felt unnecessary and conjured as a way of relieving stress. If you grew up with authoritarian parents, you know exactly what I mean. This kind of style meant that you never questioned what went on. Your main […]
How Social Media Can Ruin Your Motherhood Experience
I didn’t want to share my bump photos on social media, partly because I knew my mother’s distant relatives followed me (and everyone knew I wasn’t married), but I remember feeling remote and lonely every time I saw boisterous photos of mothers holding their baby bumps high with pride, I felt sorry for myself. I […]
Why Biological Parents Must Draw Clear Boundaries for Step-Parents
Stacy’s mum got married when she was 13, to a guy from Spain and she and her family came from South Africa. Her parents divorced when she was 5 and her sister was only 3 so for most of their life they knew no one else apart from her aunties, mother and granny. The first […]
It is Scary but You Need to Tell Your Child about Their Absent Dad
Sooner or later the question comes up and it comes up when you least expect it. It will come up when you’re in the middle of folding laundry while watching Oprah or Top Gear and your child will ask “can I ask you something?” you’ll think that they’d like another fruity loop but instead the […]
How Disney Parents Contribute to Indiscipline in Children
A friend of mine recently separated from her husband; she has three kids and adjusting for her and the kids have been difficult. There are many things parents have to figure out when they no longer live under one roof and the hardest being the visitation schedule. Creating a schedule without involving the court is […]
