My name is Omkalthoum, and I am a mother to four beautiful, and very different children. I first became a mother 35 years ago, and while that may seem like a long time, in many ways I feel like it went by in a flash. The first time I held my son, I felt many different emotions: fear, self-doubt, and overwhelming happiness and love. Three more children followed: one boy and two lovely girls. I think one of the most interesting things I’ve learned is that with each child would come a completely different set of experience, with its own fun and challenges. My children taught me so much about myself: how to love, how to learn, how to be patient (although there were many, many occasions where my patience was tested!) and most importantly, what values I want to pass on to them to make this world a better place.

One thing I will always admit is that despite the fun and love that comes with it, parenting is very difficult. We had many curve balls thrown at us, including moving to a completely new continent and learning a culture that is very different from our own. There were so many moments of stress and loneliness, where I felt everything was going wrong no matter how hard my husband and I tried. But these difficult experiences also taught me that if I am willing to work hard with my children, and to listen and respect them, it will always be worth it. I’ve realized this even more, now that they are older. I have raised them to be the type of people I am proud of, and that I can go to for friendship and comfort and to learn things. The past few years have brought with them difficulty, including the death of my mother-in-law and my own father, and yet I was able to turn to my children for guidance and comfort and that is how I realized that I have raised them to be people that I am proud to know.

Discovering who I want to be as a parent has been a crazy journey, but what my children have taught me is that I will never give up. We have all learned and grown together, and while it certainly has not been easy, the love and support we show one another other makes everything else worth it. It has been thirty-five years since I first became a mother, and I am proud to say that I have raised four children whom I am very proud of. We listen to one another when we disagree, we respect and treat each other as we would want to be treated, and we vow to be there for each other no matter what, trying to make the world a better place together.

If any of this resonates with you, please feel free to reach out to me. I also speak Arabic so you can connect with me in Arabic or English.