The future: an unread book

I have a little girl. She was two years old last week. Her life stretches ahead of her, like an unread book. I don’t know what it will contain, only that I will do my very best to fill it with smiles, amazing experiences and laughter.

And choice.

I want my little girl to have choice.

In fact, this is something I take entirely for granted. I assume that because she lives in the UK, with access to sex education, equality and healthcare, she will have choices.

When the time comes, I assume that she will choose if she wants to become a mother – or when she wants to become a mother. I hope that she will make this decision as I did, after much thought and debate, with someone she loves. At the very least, I hope the decision will be an informed one, made as a woman and not a child.

This is something women all over the world wish for their children, their young girls. But it’s not always a wish that becomes a reality.

I was meant to be in London tonight. I was going to go to an inspirational dinner hosted by Save the Children. I was going to meet some incredible women with incredible stories.

But I am sick. I am exhausted and ill and barely have the energy to put my fingers to the keyboard. Except that, from somewhere, I’ve managed to raise the last drops of energy I have this evening to write this – because it’s bloody important.

On Wednesday David Cameron is hosting a family planning summit. It’s a ground-breaking, rare opportunity to help girls and women make decisions over their future as mothers. It’s a chance to help these girls have the same access to contraception and CHOICE that I wish for my own daughter when she grows up.

There are 222 million women in developing countries who don’t have access to contraceptives, according to Save the Children.

222 million women. That’s a lot of women. A lot of women who can’t get contraceptives, but want them. A lot of women who have had the basic right of choice taken away from them.

You can read more about some of these women in this eye-opening article from Zoe Williams in The Guardian.

And if you want to do something about it you can sign this online petition to let David Cameron know you back action for change for these women.

Maybe, just maybe, it will help some of these 222 million women access sex education, health care and contraceptives. The basic stuff we take for granted over here.

Maybe, just maybe, it’ll help give these women some sort of choice.

The post Choice appeared first on Mother's Always Right.

Every now and again you pop to the toilet and stop to listen at the door. To reassure yourself, you poke your head into your children’s bedroom. You can hear their gentle snores and you smile.

And then a gang of armed men kicks down your door.

The men shout at you to get down on the floor. They have guns and knives.

But you don’t get down on the floor. You won’t leave your babies. You scream and plead with the men.

Your pleas fall on deaf ears.

The shouts wake your children. They are crying for you. Shouting, “Mummy, Mummy”. You are held back. You can’t go to them. The men have guns and knives.

The cries from your children rise. They are louder and louder. “Mummy, Daddy, Mummy, Daddy”.

Still, you are held back. The men push you away before rushing towards the cries. Your children scream your name. Over and over.

And then silence.

The men have silenced your children. With guns and knives.

This is not a nightmare. This happened. Not 70 years ago, in Germany. But last week. It happened last week.

And not in one house. But in a whole town. It happened in a whole town.

Men with guns and knives came in the night and killed 108 people, 49 of them children.

Children. Babies. Toddlers.

One of those children was a little girl, not yet two years old. She was beautiful. Half her skull was missing.

She could be my daughter. My not yet two year old daughter. My daughter who still wears nappies. My innocent, tiny, vulnerable daughter.

It could have been her…

They could be our babies. Children. Babies. Toddlers.

Men with guns and knives.

You may be reading this in the comfort of your living room, while your babies sleep soundly upstairs. Just think, for a second, what you would do if a gang of men burst into your home and attacked your children. Attacked them with the purpose of taking their lives away.

You don’t have to do nothing.

If you would like to add your voice to the one calling for an end to the violence in Syria, there is something you can do.

• You can sign the petition from Save The Children.
• You can sign the petition from Amnesty.
• You can join the protest of mothers, parents, grandparents and children, to London on 10th June.
• You can blog about it, tweet about it or share the things you read on Facebook.
• You can RT tweets you see that use the hashtags #tippingpoint #syria #stopthekilling
• You can read more about the politics and facts known about the massacre in Houla, Syria here.

You don’t have to do nothing.

They could have been your babies. They could have been mine.

The post It could be your baby appeared first on Mother's Always Right.

This time last year I was starting to think about weaning. I read a few books and about a million articles online and decided, in a rather New Age way, to try out Baby-led Weaning.

This isn’t a post about Baby-led Weaning.

No, what I would like to talk about is all those mothers who don’t have the luxury of obsessing over whether their baby will be puree fed or go straight to solids. Those mums who can’t worry if  it’s too soon to introduce a bread stick or whether all pear should be peeled, because they’re more worried about when they will next be able to feed their child, let alone what that food will actually be.

I have laughed about how messy Frog’s journey with food has been. I’ve celebrated her ability to eat (and throw) everything. I’ve sat proudly while she’s cleared her plate at a restuarant and I’ve worried fruitlessly about when she’ll get any good at using a knife and fork.

But all that’s inconsequential really. She’s always had food. She’s never gone hungry. She doesn’t even know what hungry feels like.

But the same can’t be said for 400,000 children around the world who face major food shortages. Recent price hikes mean the crisis is particularly bad in East Africa, where 750,00 people face death by hunger.

Save The Children are campaigning to end this. They want the UK government to sign up to the Charter to End Extreme Hunger. This Charter calls on governments to take life-savng measures to protect children around the world. So far over 6,000 people have signed it.

Save The Children are now asking people to take the campaign up a level, with their #66Cities project. They want people to champion their cities, write to their MPs, encourage other people to sign the petition.

I know I can’t do much on my little blog. But you can.

So I have this idea:

• Share a picture of your child covered in food eating beautifully on your blog. Then ask your readers to sign the petition asking for David Cameron to support the Charter to End Extreme Hunger.
• Tweet about it, using the #66Cities hashtag.
• If you want to, come back and link your post here. I will tweet it too and shout about it a bit (I have a rather loud voice).

I can’t make a difference on my own, but together we can. Remember, no child is born to die.

Link your post here:

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The post A question of food appeared first on Mother's Always Right.

She had blonde hair.

She was firm but gentle, calm and quiet. She had warm hands.

As she felt my heaving belly she told me she believed that it hurt. I felt relieved that, unlike the other woman, this one didn’t think I was exaggerating the pain.

She found me a bed.

She didn’t laugh when I announced “I love April” as the gas and air took hold. She smiled and patted my hand.

Four hours later my baby was born.

Her name was April and I’ll never forget her.

***

This is my 100 words for @helloitsgemma and @michelletwinmum, for Save The Children’s No Child Born To Die campaign.

8 million children die every year from basic illnesses. Half of these children are in Africa, yet Africa only has 3% of the world’s doctors, nurses and midwives. Save The Children wants to tackle the shortfall of healthworkers in the poorest parts of the world.

You can do your bit too.

1) Sign the petition.

2) Write 100 words about a health worker you’ve encountered in your life and link up to Michelle Twin Mum. Add a link to the petition and either link or add in some information from Save The Children about the #Healthworkerscampaign

3) Link to a number of other bloggers and ask them to do the same.

4) Tweet about it, mention it on Facebook. Tell your friends and your neighbours and your family. Spread the word. Because no child is born to die.

I tag:

The Monster In Your Closet

Circus Queen

Edspire

The post April appeared first on Mother's Always Right.

I have a lovely family, amazing friends and live in a beautiful place.

But the thing I’m most grateful for, above all else, is my daughter. Yes, she cries. Yes, she throws food around the room. And yes, she often leaves a perfectly formed poo on the carpet. But she’s healthy; she’s healthy and happy and safe.

So my entry for this week’s Gallery at Sticky Fingers is a collection of photos, because I couldn’t pick my favourite.The theme this week is I’m grateful for.

[slideshow]

This week’s Gallery is a celebration of the journey Chris from Thinly Spread is making with Save the Children in Mozambique. She’s hoping to raise awareness and increase funding so children around the world can be vaccinated against preventable diseases.

You can find out more about the campaign by reading my previous wafflings and you can follow Chris on her journey by watching her regular vlogs at In the Powder Room.

The post I’m grateful for appeared first on Mother's Always Right.

Despite my best efforts to learn to knit, sew and make beautifully arty creations out of an old slipper and a rusty nail, I’m constantly indignant at my lack of crafting ability. Yes it’s fair to say, I’m rubbish at making things.

Take this homemade peg bag as proof:

Yes, I did try to “embroider” the word “peg” onto it. And yes, I did give up before I got to the S:

So I’m pleased to see that my fabulously talented (competitive mum, me?) soon-to-be 11 month old daughter hasn’t inherited my total lack of crafty skills. Here is her self portrait, as painted onto a mug:

Clever girl.

But I didn’t just take Frog pottery painting this morning to prove she’s clearly the most talented baby on the planet. There was actually a serious undertone to the whole experience.

You see, there’s this campaign doing the rounds of the blogosphere at the moment. It’s all down to  Save the Children, as they attempt to put pressure on world leaders ahead of the Global Immunisation Summit on 13^th June. The charity wants those attending the summit to increase funding for immunisation. In the words of Save the Children, this is why:

“No child is born to die, but 8 million children under five die every year from illnesses we know how to treat or prevent, such as diarrhoea and pneumonia. In the 21st century, this is utterly wrong.”

It’s no secret that I’ve become a gibbering wreck since having a baby and fall into a sobbing heap at the slightest glimpse of anything sad. But this figure isn’t just sad – it’s devastating. If you want to do something about it,  sign the online petition set up by Save the Children.

Now, to raise awareness of the charity’s plight, some ridiculously crafty blogging types (i.e. Red Ted Art and Sleep is for the Weak) have started a Meme (mum, if you’re reading this, I’ve explained what a “meme” is before, remember?). The idea is to get our children to draw or craft a picture of themselves now or in the future, then share the results on our blog. It gives us the chance to show off our children’s talents and be the boasting mothers that we all secretly are (no? Just me then?), as well as highlighting a campaign that’s really rather important.

I’ve been tagged by Northern Mummy with Southern Children as well as The Real Housewife of Suffolk. Oh, and don’t forget Mother Porridge. God, I’m popular. Either that or they all thought they’d get a good laugh out of Frog’s attempt at a self-portrait. Well, not so fast ladies. In case you missed it just now, here again is my daughter’s incredibly beautiful, inspirational, genius-like creation:

If you think your child can do better (as if) please do join in. For now, I’m tagging:

Making Life More Beautiful

Nimble Fingers Steady Eyebrows

Dorky Mum

Mammy Woo

Dummy Mummy

Mummy Beadzoid

Ghostwriter Mummy

Goodbye Pert Breasts

Here’s what you need to do:

1) Get your child to either draw or craft a self portrait of themselves now or in the future. (don’t worry they don’t have to be as good as mine)
2)Sign the Save the Children petition (here) to support full funding for vaccinations and then pass it onto your friends
3) Write a blog post about it as soon as possible, including info about Save the Children and the petition. We want as many people linked up at Red Ted Art and signed up the petition by Sunday 29th May 2011.
4) Tag 8 fellow blogger friends
5) Link up your posts at Red Ted Art
6) If you have time, visit each other posts and say hello!

Now go forth and #passiton.

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