Tumblr: All Thanks To Mum?

You couldn’t have missed the news that social networking site Tumblr was sold to Yahoo for $1.1 billion.  A new 26 year old techie genius joins the growing club of under 30s millionaires and deservedly so.  I was pondering though… would it have happened if his mum was more conservative?

David Karp (Tumblr creator and CEO) dropped out of school aged 14 at the advice of his mother, a teacher in a different school to her son’s and recommended home schooling.  She observed that her son was so engrossed in and obsessed with his computer that it was something to encourage and give space to.  What an amazing and brave mother!  Can you imagine that happening in your house??

That’s Not My Baby

I visited a friend in Delhi today who has just given birth and, being British, found the differences in procedures and norms quite fascinating.  My dear friend was in a private hospital and is recovering well, however, when I arrived at the hospital I wasn’t allowed to take in the flowers I had just spend an hour selecting and directing how the arrangement should be done and when I walked into her room, NO BABY!

In India babies are kept

First Day At School: Mother’s Words

Dear Diary,

I had heard about the jitters mother’s face when their first born starts primary school and how it is more emotional for them than for the child. I didn’t believe this for one moment, until it happened to me.

I was left feeling rejected, dejected and alone as my daughter happily skipped into her class exited to meet her new classmates. I hovered around waiting for her to come running back into my arms and make a great big scene about how she wants to stay at home, but she didn’t.

Mother Care

Recent reports and reviews of maternity units and last night’s Panaroma programme have highlighted the failures of maternity units up and down the country.  With a baby boom of one child born every 40 seconds, patient to midwife ratio at 32 to 1, and complications and fatalities increasing, it is even more evident that good quality maternity care is vital and demanded.

This particular subject is very close to my heart as my own birth story nearly ended up as a tragedy totally due to an understaffed unit and appalling midwife care.

Oh No, It’s A Girl

Dear Diary,

A friend of mine has recently found out she is pregnant and is burdened with the pressure from both sides of the family, especially her in-laws, on discovering whether the baby is a boy so that they can prepare for their disappointment. I find it heartbreaking that an unborn child is already being judged on something it has no control over.

My friend already has a little girl