Bringing up children isn’t something you are taught. You don’t need a diploma to become a parent; after all, many consider raising children as something natural. Which is quite funny, really, considering how one might think of childbirth as something natural and yet parents-to-be take birth preparation classes! It is likely that our own experiences…
Category: Lifestyle
How We Celebrate US-Thanksgiving as Cultural Nomads
Thanksgiving – Never in a million years would I have believed that sharing a culinary cultural tradition in a foreign country would become our family’s new way of life!
Grandmother’s War Bride Story Inspired My Own Intercultural Marriage
My grandmother left her entire world behind that allowed me the privilege and freedom to not think twice about doing the same thing some 60 years later.
American Swede Celebrates Midsommer in Sweden
Midsommer is a chance to come together, renew ties and friendships, dance around the maypole and eat Midsommar Torta.
Why doesn’t it feel like enough? A New Blueprint for Motherhood
I was supposed to be happy wholeheartedly investing in early childhood but there I sat, across from my therapist, laden with guilt. Making a new blueprint is letting go of an idealistic version of my life, whether it’s my ideals or someone else’s, and giving up the useless practice of “should-ing” myself.
Baby Bellies on Bikes: Gender Reveal and Gender Neutral Parenting in the Netherlands!
In Part III of our Baby Bellies on Bikes series, Dutch mom, Kari van der Heide reveals the sex of her baby and argues for why gender neutral parenting, the current popular trend in The Netherlands, while relevant, may not be right for her family where kids will be growing up with two moms and diverse skills sets.
Baby Bellies on Bikes: I’m Missing the Caribbean
Kari is a 30-year-old mama, who grew up in the Caribbean, but now lives in the Netherlands with her wife and daughter. In an exclusive series with theParentVoice, Kari chronicles her experiences and journey of parenting between cultures. This is Part II of the Baby Bellies on Bikes Series.
An Islandgirl Raising Kids in Dutchieland
I hope my experience of growing up somewhere else, having to start a new life in Dutchieland and being gay will turn her into a teenager and grownup with an open mind. Read more about how an Island girl raising her daughter in the Netherlands reflects on her experiences contrasted with those of her daughter’s.
Would you impose your holiday traditions on your children? An American-German Dilemma
My previous hostile attitude was due mostly to a fear of my childhood traditions being left out. My son’s Christmases and indeed his life are his, not mine.
Does your Intercultural Marriage stress you out during the Holidays?
Read about how intercultural, mixed ethnicity couples negotiate cultural loses and gains during the holidays. Cultural accommodation, Cultural dialogues
Culturally Jewish: Raising Interfaith Kids
To strangers, it may not seem like a big deal, but to religious Jews, marrying someone outside of your faith can be devastating to the family.
Fostering Connections with Kids via Long Distance Family Video Chats
Living far away from loved ones when you have children can be a challenge. Here are some tips on how to foster a connection with family using technology.
4 Reasons you should NOT drop your Home (Minority) Language
It is early evening. My phone rings. A good friend calls for a chat. She has just come back from her pediatrician’s office after a routine visit. He advised her to use a little more English in their daily life at home. She kindly nodded while he was talking, unsure what to say. She feels…
Lighting the First Candle: Memories of the Advent Wreath or Adventskranz
The purpose of the Advent Wreath is to gather the family so you spend quality time together and light up a candle each of the Sundays preceding Christmas.
Celebrating Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet: A Dutch Holiday Tradition
Celebrating Sinterklass and Zwarte Piet is an essential Dutch holiday tradition. The rituals, songs, and stories about it were always extra special to me.
