I live in a town that most people would describe as nice. The neighborhoods, schools, houses, and people all give off a purposeful and distinct impression of being nice. It is the reason we moved our family to this town. Who wouldn’t want to raise their children in such an environment? But as much as…
Category: Contributors
How the Italian Police Instigated an American Mom’s Parenting Struggle
When an Italian policeman starts throwing rocks at a US-American mother’s window, her parenting struggles and vulnerability as an immigrant, become all too real but for…
On Belonging and Becoming…A Special Essay
When you are the only one or even just part of the minority, you have to develop self-confidence and a strong voice in order to survive and thrive amid the stereotypes and negative connotations with which you are confronted.
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.
Schools Vs. Homes – How do Kids Learn about Racism?
At who’s feet do we lay the blame for dragging our most precious beings down into the hole of hate and racism?
“My sister and I were pulled to the side and my great grandmother was taken by the arm”
Time dragged on as each minute seemed like an hour and every hour an eternity. Five hours had passed and no one offered us food, water, or bathroom access.
Baby Bellies on Bikes: Giving Birth in the Netherlands
In our first series on Pregnancy and Motherhood, we present Dutch mom, Kari van der Heide, who shares her journey exclusively with the readers of theParentVoice, Magazine.
My Ethnic Diversity (Re)Defines My Transracial Parenthood
I am a wife, mother, lesbian, and a Person of Color. I have always known that I wanted to find love, and be a mother. I knew I was a lesbian at a young age, and came out at 19. But I did not understand that my Lebanese-Iranian heritage made me a Person of Color (POC) until recent years.
A Wrinkle in Time – Why this Movie Matters So Much
Frederick Douglass once said, “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” I have thought about this statement a lot lately as we witness children leading a movement to create a better and safer world for themselves and for all of us. But how do we build strong children?
When an American Mom Joins an Italian School Lunch Committee
Italian sea bass Extra virgin olive oil Fresh, organic egg Breadcrumbs Parsley Sea salt These are the six ingredients in the fish meatballs served in my daughters’ public school lunch program in Rome, Italy. My taste buds were delighted by the rich, home-cooked flavor of a colorful vegetable minestrone, chunks of tender lamb simmered in…
The Boy Who Asked Why: Book Review
‘The Boy Who Asked Why’ is the extraordinary story of an exceptionally, extraordinary man: Bhimrao Ambedkar or Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar.
Funerals and Faith: Cultural Rituals of Grief
I am not a religious person, yet I have come to appreciate the role of religious institutions in creating structure to express grief and to provide essential social support systems. Read more as columnist, Cheryl Crippen discusses two cross-cultural (Italian Catholic and Indian Jain) rituals of grief.
The Black Panther Review You Must Read
I’m not naïve enough to think that a movie can end poverty, injustice, and discrimination. But I am hopeful that the inspiration that this film has induced will continue to drive meaningful thought and action to do what we can in our own ways to uplift those who suffer under the effects of those mentioned struggles.
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.
La Bella Figura: Why Italian Moms Once Made This American Mom Feel Insecure
The bags of most Italian moms are bottomless. I marvel at the superhuman abilities of Italian moms to both look great and have anticipated the appetites, body temperatures, weather changes, and hygiene needs of all their kids—and their friends, on top of that. Do Italian moms do it better than this American mom?
