Flavour Of The Day With Noora

Only One Child At A Time

Do you ever feel guilty about not spending enough time with your youngest child? I have recently realized that all my time and effort are directed at my son Yousef, with little attention directed at my younger daughter.

The activities, play dates, quality time, and even the shopping for toys and clothing, are more directed at him.

I don't think that any mama loves one child more than the other, it' s just that when you have two babies that are close in age, you barely have enough time for one, so you might focus on the eldest feeling that he will understand and appreciate the efforts more.

Is that fair though

? Surely not, but how can I change it? Every time we sit to color, read, eat, watch TV or even go to the park, it's such a struggle juggling the both of them that I always end up choosing. And since my son is harder to deal with than her, I stick with him and she goes off to whoever is with us with no complaints or problems.

Will this thing stay this way forever? For both our sakes I hope not, but for now, how can I make things right?

Flavour Of The Day With Noora

Choosing the Right School

Peer pressure for moms in schools is just as bad as it is for children. As a mamas, you can sometimes feel pressured to do what the other mamas are doing, even if you don't necessarily think it is the best thing for your situation.

The next major phase in our life is my 3 year old enrolling in "big boys'" school this September. And if you have ever had to go through the struggles of choosing the right school for your child, you know it is far from a picnic.

Some schools, teachers, and parents alike are pushing their very young children into systems that focus so much on academia at young ages, forgetting that these children are still very young. They try to convince you that extreme academics is the way, that one size really does fit all.

However, you can't help but doubt, what is right and what is wrong? Is my child doing math at age 5 a good thing? Or is it robbing him of his childhood like other opinions say?

Should I go for the school that had a somewhat extensive entry exam for three-year olds, or go for the one who played and spoke with him, focusing only on the concern of developmental delays?

Should we as parents, opt for having our children's brains stuffed with information, because it can take it? Or do we say, no, this isn't the way it should be, and my child can still be a successful person 15 years down the line?

Flavour Of The Day With Noora

Lesson #1: Compassion

My father was a sheep shepard, a real sheep shepard that lived in poverty, in a tent. He went to fist grade at the age of nine, only after a snow storm had caused their sheep to die. After a fairy-tale like story, he became a doctor.

Never however, did he forget his roots. He remained humble throughout his years and taught us just that. It was part of our upbringing that feeling and helping others in need, is a must.

In the streets these days, it has become a common sight to see people, of all ages, digging through the garbage, looking for anything they can get. As a response, most of us, as a society, have taught ourselves to look away. A reality that I believe is just as cruel as that which led this person to be in the garbage in the first place.

If you can teach your child one thing, I would say teach them compassion. As with compassion, comes truth, the truth of feelings. With compassion, you can almost be sure that you are teaching your child to take action. And with compassion, comes the must needed change.

So the next time you walk by a poor person who you might doubt if he really is in need, look at the bigger picture and say:" compassion is what I want to create with my child, I will start now!"