Words to live by...

A popular nursery rhyme goes like this... "Sticks and stones may break my 

bones, but words will never hurt me". Even though this rhyme is said to 

inspire strength and resistance in children who are being bullied and 

harassed, but the truth is, words do hurt... Badly!

One book on this topic that I can highly recommend is by James 

Garbarino, Ph.D. and Ellen deLara, Ph.D., titled: "And Words Can 

Hurt Forever" (link).  I have met Mr. Garbarino personally and I 

have a lot of respect and admiration for his research. 

Not only does the book highlight the scaring effects of words (which 
is related to emotional bullying) and the warning signs to look for, but
it also presents parent recommendations and pointers on how to protect
our adolescents from these effects. The book is very well researched but
it is important to note that it is based on the American population, so for
my local readers there are some parts that may not be applicable in
Kuwait or relatable. Bullying, however, is universal, and the dangers
are growing at an alarming rate due to children's exposure and access to 
violence (among other social, economic and environmental factors). 

I have written about bullying several times in this blog, do feel free to review 

the following posts:

• Be the Difference

• 0% Tolerance

• Mean Girls

• Let's Talk about Abby

• From Bullied to Applauded

I leave you with some words to live by...

Voice for Success - Zaina Al Zabin

I am finally sharing with you a video that has been a work in progress for the past couple of months.  The aim for making the video is to spread awareness about the needs of our children, and to get the message that policy change HAS to happen in order for our children to get the rights they deserve.  I am humbled and honored that I have been chosen by the Voice for Success program (see details below).  They have done a wonderful job! I do hope that you enjoy it... 



Voice for Success is a program initiated by en.v in collaboration with the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) to promote Kuwaiti civil society by giving greater visibility to local social activists.

To participate in our program, email us at info@envearth.com or visithttp://www.voiceforsuccess.envearth.com

This project is funded through the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, Office of the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI). MEPI is a unique program designed to engage directly with and invest in the peoples of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). MEPI works to create vibrant partnerships with citizens to foster the development of pluralistic, participatory, and prosperous societies throughout the MENA region. MEPI partners with local, regional and international non-governmental organizations, the private sector, academic institutions, and governments. More information about MEPI can be found at: www.mepi.state.gov.

MAN-united

As soon as a plan is in place to start a family, many start their preparations by reading.  Very commonly one specific book is reached out for: "What To Expect When You're Expecting".  Written by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel, this book was originally published in 1984!  It quickly became an international best-seller and staple in many households.  It grew into a series of books, a website, a foundation and now a movie...

Aside from the excitement to see the interesting cast in this movie adaptation, I have chosen the alternative trailer below to ask you lovely readers about something specific.  What sort of support system do you have in place.  Fathers especially, as you will see from this clip, would you consider doing a "guys support group"?

In my opinion, ignoring the comedic aspect we see in the film, finding support from other fathers is extremely beneficial.  It allows you to exchange and expand your knowledge base, a chance to express your worries and concerns, and let's not forget that it also counts as a great play-date for your little ones!
Creating such a support group also means including yourself more in  your child's life.  I often hear from fathers that they feel left-out or find it difficult to connect to with their young child (who might be more attached to his/her mother).

So let's do a PTL experiment and try.  Ask your friends, cousins or co-workers who are dads if they are interested in meeting once a week, with their children. You may surprise yourselves with the outcome.  What are you expecting?;)

***Mentioning fathers here today does not mean that mothers do not need the support.  Obviously they do.  Mother do tend to create that support group naturally, through school, friends and family.  

A special kind of need

I am a huge fan of modern family, and so naturally I was intrigued to watch this Ellen video.  But this is not a blog about T.V. shows.  I simply was surprised to find out that the young actor Nolan Gould is a member of MENSA!  

So what is MENSA?

Mensa, the high IQ society, provides a forum for intellectual exchange among its members. There are members in more than 100 countries around the world.

Activities include the exchange of ideas through lectures, discussions, journals, special-interest groups, and local, regional, national and international gatherings; the investigations of members' opinions and attitudes; and assistance to researchers, inside and outside Mensa, in projects dealing with intelligence or Mensa.

This got me thinking about children like Nolan.  I have seen children with very high I.Q. labeled as trouble makers or hyperactive because they were simply under stimulated in the classroom.  I often thought about this question and I present this to you: What do we have available in Kuwait for children with high intelligence, or what we usually term "gifted children"?  Please share any information you may have xx

Thank you, mom

Not my typical post, but I had to share this with you moms...

The Five Stages of Grief

Grief...  It isn't a process we ever want our kids to go through, but unfortunately it does happen.  Children go through loss, wether we mean divorce and/or family struggles (i.e. economic, social, warfare, medical, etc), or after the death of loved ones, including, as the sweet and heart-breaking video below shows, the loss of a pet for the first time.


Elisabeth Kübler-Ross first wrote about the Five Stages of Grief in her book "On Death and Dying".  The stages were not meant to be chronological, nor complete.  Some people get stuck in one stage, and may need an intervention to help them cope.  It is helpful to check for those stages when you are caring for yourself or a loved one, and try to help them within each stage that they go through.  Some of these stages are often socially unaccepted or frowned upon, like Anger.  We need to allow ourselves and our children to feel and express these emotions without fear of repercussion.  Our main goal then becomes containment.  We, as the support system for our child, work on containing our child's feelings, and allowing him or her to express such feelings within a safe environment.

The Five Stages of Grief are:

• Denial
• Bargaining
• Anger
• Depression
• Acceptance

Friends indeed

Next Saturday I will be presenting a (hopefully) interactive lecture for the 9-12 year old children of Little Moms group. This time the lecture will not be open for the public. It is very possible that I will be using the same presentation in the future for one of the private schools who have asked for it, and Little Moms may also host an open lecture in the near future.

The video below is not one that I used, I think it's cuter for us adults and less so for the kids, but I LOVE notebookbabies who have created and produced this video and another one I am using in the lecture. I hope you like it:)

From bullied to applauded...

From bully victim to an inspirational performance at American Idol... This performance brought me to tears... I wish we can all find compassion and teach our kids to be more compassionate to those who need it the most... Reach out and show people you care...
For more bullying information check out my previous post: 0% Tolerance.

ADOPT...FOSTER...LOVE

Below is a beautiful video I would like to share with you... This is the beginning of a wonderful journey for one family in Kuwait. Adoption is a choice many people make, but very few speak about...

To know more about this family, and learn more about adoption in Kuwait visit the following blog:

http://myfosteringlife.blogspot.com/