LIFE AS IT IS

Air travel is rarely a pleasurable experience for me. I especially dread long flights. The idea of visiting Bangladesh excites me, but the number of hours to be spent inside an aircraft dampens my spirits. I am not that tall but even so, my 5'6" body frame cannot sit comfortably in an airplane seat. I turn and twitch during the entire duration of a flight, and wonder if plane seats are becoming smaller. I eye other passengers and feel a pang of envy -- many people enjoy long stretches of sleep on long flights, but I never can. My in-flight agony has doubled, or perhaps tripled, in the last two years. Flying in the air with a two-year-old is anything but enjoyable. My husband, who is my daughter's favorite parent, suffers endlessly when we travel. Watching his in-flight plight stresses me out even more. My toddler almost goes on a hunger strike when she is traveling. We returned completely untouched trays of meals to air hostesses in the past. When my child is awake...

I watched the short film below some time ago and could not hold back my tears. I saw my child in this little boy. I saw my daughter's face in the face of this child. We live in a cruel world. I don't know the maker of this film, but I express my gratitude to him for this work of his.

My daughter started her pre-school yesterday. Well, yesterday she was at the school for just 15 minutes - it was more like a short ice-breaking session with her two teachers, Jeanne and Amy. Today is her official first day at school. I am a little worried because she cannot take her teddy bear to the classroom - "Telly" is with her all the time and it might be difficult for her to part with it. I cannot imagine how how quickly time flies. I still remember the time and day I first held her. She will turn 2 years on September 17. It seems as if she was born only yesterday, but no, almost 2 years have gone by while I was busy raising her and seeing her grow from an infant to a toddler. She is attending the Montessori Learning Center in Wilmington, DE. The 40-year-old school have amicable teachers and a comfortable environment. I hope she enjoys her time at her pre-school. I am happy for my girl. No, I don't think it will hurt me much to let go of her and see her grow i...

My husband, daughter and I returned home yesterday after a 2-day trip to the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania. I was visiting the Poconos after 9 years...!! The mountains cover a 2,400 square miles area. The views from the Poconos are breathtaking, the air is fresh and you feel close to the heaven once your are on the top. Here are a few clicks from the short trip.

Sometimes all a mom needs is a comfortable pillow under her head...

The gratification comes from not just beating the #2 guy but from being better than everyone else in the competition.      style="display:inline-block;width:728px;height:90px"      data-ad-client="ca-pub-1412858923217987"      data-ad-slot="2221625556">

Motherhood has instilled in me a different type of emotion, an emotion whose existence I was unaware of in those pre-mommy years of life. Today, when I see suffering children, turbulent emotions rupture my heart. Sometimes, I shed tears in silence. I ask myself if all this emotional overflow is because of my new identity as a mother. Perhaps. Every child deserves a happy childhood. But to millions of children around the world, "happiness" is a word that carries little or no meaning. Many a child’s childhood is snatched away at such an early age that they never know what it feels to go to school five days a week, eat three good meals a day, or sleep without having to worry about their houses being blown up by enemy troops. In any conflict, it's the children who suffer the most. When I see images and video footages of living and dead children of Palestine and Syria, I sit still before my computer and know not what to feel. Sometimes I wonder what I myself would have ...