Marriage and Prejudice

Dear Diary,

I have been with my partner for over ten years. It wasn’t exactly love at first sight, in the beginning we were just friends but then one day I realised that we were not going out to dinner as friends: we were on a date.

I am from Pakistan, though I have lived abroad for many years. My boyfriend is white British. I knew it wasn’t going to go down very well if my parents found out about him, they made no secret of how they felt about inter-racial marriages.  One day, while back in Pakistan on holiday, my mum found out about my boyfriend.  She made me promise to break up with him which I, very reluctantly, said I would do.

But I didn’t as I never intended to. My boyfriend and I continued our lives in London but I kept him a secret from most of

Olympic Inspiration

Another Olympic post. Sorry but I am consumed by it.

One it the Olympics legacies is that it will inspire young people to take up sports. Has it inspired us or are we just great a spectating and celebrating other’s achievements?

School Lottery

Dear Diary,

Last week, we found out the my daughter did not get our first choice school despite being in the catchment area. It is a lottery system that depends on siblings, special needs and of course the recession led baby boom….

Chicken Pox Parties

My two daughters have chicken pox and I was asked if I was going to host a party. At first I thought they were joking, but these events really take place.

Parents throw parties so that other children can catch the virus. The reason is that Chicken Pox is less serious as a child than an adult and the earlier you suffer from this vile infection the better it is.

 

Too Posh To Push

The “too posh to push” trend has hit India with Aishwarya Rai booking herself in for a cesarean section to ensure her baby’s birth date and time for 11.11.11 @ 11.11am.

Respect

Oxford Dictionary definition: a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements

Asian definition: Do as your elder tells you.

Pushy Parents

“I don’t know what is wrong with her. She is so clingy when I am around and will not just go and enjoy the class. I try to do so much for her to give her the best. She goes to nursery full time from 8am to 5.30pm and on the weekends, she does ballet, piano lessons, Gujarati school and swimming” Mum of a three year old.

Anorexia At The Age Of Five

Anorexia is an awful eating disorder as an adult so I cannot imagine what it is like for a five years old. Yesterday’s Independent reported that children as young as five were receiving treatment for Anorexia and the figures showed some alarming trends in young children today, especially girls. Image conscious celebrities, internal messages in magazines and peer pressure on children were blamed for the disorder. I can see these reasons could be influential for an teenager or an adult, but I have difficulty relating them to a five years old? Therefore, I am led to wonder how much of the disorder in children so young is caused by the environment in which they are growing up?

Empty Nest Syndrome

The summer before your child goes to university comes the realisation that life is going to change forever.  Recently, I have encountered a number of mothers coming to terms with their first born leaving home. They are filled with fear, vulnerability,  sadness and loneliness. Strangely, it is like they are preparing to grieve.

Inviting For The Sake Of Inviting

Summer’s here, well maybe not quite as far as the weather is concerned, but definitely with regard to the Asian wedding season.

Weekend after weekend slips away as yet another invite from an extended family member or family friend from the community drops through your letterbox and you wonder how on earth you are going to get out of going. It’s not easy.

The Ultrasound Abortion

An article today in BBC News suggested that the introduction of gender screening has led to increased abortion of female foetuses in India, which is feared to be around 8 million  in the last decade.

Look For Me In Rainbows

Dear Diary,

Coping with the death of a parent is one of the most difficult things to come to terms with in life. Yesterday, I attended a funeral where two teenage children buried their mother. Every now and again the fragility of life hits you and this was one of those days.

Who Are Our Role Models?

Today, the question of role models arise as Coca Cola drop footballer Wayne Rooney from their ad campaigns.  A definition for a role model is A person who serves as a model in a particular behavioral or social role for another person to emulate. Does Wayne Rooney fit this?

On Your Bike

My aunt has recently started taking bike riding lessons in north west London. She is nearly 50 and with her husband, they are learning a new skill together.

Her instructor says that most of his current clients are Asian women between 40 and 50 who have never learnt to ride a bike. For most of these women, they never had access to bikes, only boys did. When they were children, girls from good families weren’t seen on bikes; it wasn’t elegant.

Primary Truants

I heard on the news today that primary school truancy is on the rise. Is this real? 22,600 primary school children played truant last year. This is a 50% rise over the past five years.

Second Grade Secondary Schools

As parents of children about to start secondary  school, today is the day you have been waiting for to see if your child has secured his/her first choice place.

In recent conversations with parents, securing schools is as stressful as moving or planning a wedding! Parents put everything they can into getting their child into the school of their choice. Some, who can afford to, buy houses close by or rent properties in catchment areas. Others gamble on the lottery system of getting their child into their first choice school.