Motherhood Archives - Mind of Malaka

What is the True Measure of a Good Parent?

Posted on December 5, 2024
by Malaka
with 0 Comments

If you steal a glance at my Instagram page, you’ll find a feed filled with snapshots of joy: family vacations, safaris, dinners out, and elaborate home-cooked meals in our quaint little town. The photos tell a story of happiness, a carefully curated narrative that reflects…

What I Am Telling My Daughters About Taking Off the Cape

Posted on November 11, 2024
by Malaka
with 0 Comments

My Dearest Girls, Today, I write this with a heart both heavy and hopeful. Heavy, because there is an apology I owe you. Hopeful, because I believe in the strength you possess to live differently, to choose differently, and to find a freedom that even…

When Your Darkest Wish Is Granted

Posted on April 17, 2024
by Malaka
with 0 Comments

Only the most courageous, foolish or demented of people will admit what I am about to tell you now. I have wished an ex-lover dead. This is the sort of thing that one does not proclaim in public or genteel company, but amongst true friends…

The Woeful and Hopeful Lament of a Newly Minted University Mom

Posted on August 21, 2023
by Malaka
with 0 Comments

By the time I hit 'publish' on this post, Nadjah will be seated in her first class and most likely will be on her way across campus (or perhaps next door?) for her next lecture. I don't know. There are so many unknowns. All I…

Scuba With My Son, And Other Ways We Are Finding Our Way Back to Love

Posted on March 30, 2023
by Malaka
with 0 Comments

"Your son should NEVER ask me to do anything for him EVER again! I'm not taking him to karate, I'm not helping him with school work, I'm not even going to buy deodorant for his funky ass! From now on, YOU raise him!" My eyes…

Busy Parents, Rejoice! Here Are Some Cost-Efficient Ways to Stay Organized

Posted on March 13, 2023
by Malaka
with 0 Comments

Written by Elena Stewart Being a parent is one of the most rewarding experiences in life. But it can also be overwhelming and chaotic. There are so many joys to be found in raising a family, but there can also be moments of chaos and…

What I Hope to Teach My Daughters About Desire

Posted on February 14, 2023
by Malaka
with 1 Comment

A journalist sent me a message last week, expressing interest in my work on Adventures From the Bedrooms of African Women. When it comes to this project, I have been the force behind the scenes, rather than the face out front for many myriad reasons.…

18 Years a Mother

Posted on December 16, 2022
by Malaka
with 0 Comments

I thought we were going to die. But before we did, I figured I'd get some orange juice to quench my thirst and hopefully quell the raging headache pulsing through the vein in the left side of my face. Orange juice has no cranial healing…

Separation Anxiety: Coming to Terms With Being Out of View From My Children

Posted on August 24, 2022
by Malaka
with 2 Comments

When you are preparing to bring a child into this world for the first time, there is no shortage of advice doled out to new parents. "Don't hold the baby too much, or she'll get spoiled!""Baby won't sleep? Let her cry it out through the…

“New African Mum” Parenting is Taking Your Daughters to a Burlesque Show

Posted on July 29, 2022
by Malaka
with 0 Comments

Aya, my sweet and surly second born, turned 16 this month. It's difficult to believe considering that I just enrolled her in pre-school a few days ago. Nevertheless that's what the calendar says: My baby is officially in the first phases of young adulthood. Her…