As a child, I spent many glorious summers on the Latvian Baltic Sea coast, swimming, building sand castles, and fighting a losing battle against turning lobster-red. Bringing my own kids to the seaside in Germany, I couldn’t help but notice that Germans do a few things differently. For one, I cannot believe how much stuff […]
parenting
My 5 Commandments for Staying Consistent as the Minority Language Parent
“Are you a drop-dead-OPOL-mom?” an acquaintance inquired when I published my last update of Birdy’s language progress. I laughed out loud and then started wondering: am I? In our family, we follow the OPOL – one parent one language – strategy (you can read all about our approach here). In this constellation, I’m the minority language […]
5 Reasons Why I Make a Terrible Latvian Mother
Parenting outside the culture where you yourself were born and raised can be a tricky thing. I certainly do some things differently than the German moms around me. At the same time, I have the feeling that I don’t parent like a typical Latvian mother either. From outside naps to early potty training, I fail […]
What Does Guilt Have to do with Parenting?
Is it just me or is parenting often laced with feelings of self-doubt, guilt, and constant worrying? Both times, from the first signs of pregnancy, I began to rewind my mental tape of the preceding weeks. Did I drink a glass of wine too many? Did I eat a raw steak or unpasteurized cheese? Did I skip on […]
Just an Ordinary Day – Part 2
Continued from part 1… I arrive at the daycare exactly at 2 pm and find my daughter on the playground. She’s barefoot, covered in sunscreen and sand, and having the time of her life playing in the mud kitchen. Her group teacher tells me that Birdy decided that she doesn’t want to nap today. Apparently, after […]
Just an Ordinary Day – Part 1
I am woken up by the sound of little bare feet on the floor. Dip dap dap and the owner of those two tiny feet is climbing on the bed and, in her effort to find me, almost steps on her brother who’s left sleeping next to me after his 5 am mealtime. I pull her under […]
The Worst Parents in the World
Dear son, I wonder if you will ever realize how different your first months on this earth are from your sister’s early days. We no longer try to do everything by the book. We don’t wash and disinfect every toy before giving it to you. You get wet wipes instead of clean water, and get plopped down […]
The Holy Grail of Parenting
There is thread of obsession creeping through advice resources for new parents, from parenting books to mommy blogs, everyone is talking about baby sleep. In the sleep deprived world of a new parent peaceful slumber takes on a whole new meaning and you would do anything to achieve the holy grail: a baby that falls asleep by […]
“We don’t judge other parents”
Soon after becoming a mom I found out that the North Germans, of whom I had thought of as people who are generally good at minding their own business, can be pretty chatty with strangers. If the stranger is carrying a baby, that is. Most of the conversations that I have had and the comments that […]
Help! I think someone switched my baby
Why didn’t anyone warn me about baby growth spurts? I’m not talking about the physical growth spurts that manifest themselves as more frequent eating and sleeping. I’m talking about the mental development ones that turn your happy little sunshine into the Little Miss Complain-A-Lot overnight (yes, we actually call her that). Birdy has just begun the 4th mental […]