Motherhood Archives | Mind of Malaka

Raising A Teen Is The Hardest Thing I’ve Ever Done

Posted on September 6, 2018
by Malaka
with 8 Comments

Raising a teenager is the hardest thing I’ve ever done and that’s saying a lot – because I’ve had a pretty difficult life. From homelessness (my family had to live with relatives for a stint before ‘upgrading’ to a hotel – the same hotel where…

Exploited: The Day My Child Became the Face of African Poverty Porn

Posted on June 8, 2018
by Malaka
with 0 Comments

Sixteen years ago I used to run a satirical blog called Maizebreak.com. It is now defunct. I would write parodies of the real news, conjure crazy and unlikely stories and photoshop images for humorous effect. It was my African answer to The Onion, which I…

We’re Finally Getting Closer to Having Those Elusive ‘Happy Periods’

Posted on May 28, 2018
by Malaka
with 0 Comments

The 28th of May is Menstrual Hygiene Day! And you thought it was just another Monday. Surprise! Menstrual Hygiene Day (MH Day) is a global platform that brings together non-profits, government agencies, the private sector, the media and individuals to promote Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM).…

The Mercy of Teachers Who Embrace Failure

Posted on March 28, 2018
by Malaka
with 3 Comments

I often talk about the teachers who shaped both the writer and woman I am today. Not infrequently, I mention one teacher’s name with more regularity than any other. (Go to Door Number 5 to receive your prize if you smiled wryly and said, “Mr.…

Why Are Some Women Choosing Childbirth Over Marriage?

Posted on March 22, 2018
by Malaka
with 6 Comments

“There is no man more single than a married man in Joburg.” Joy FM host Naa Ashorkor Mensa-Doku wanted to know why modern women are choosing to have children outside of the confines of traditional marriage and there was no shortage of men waiting…

I Like to Imagine My Children’s Faces When They Discover All Their Teeth

Posted on March 14, 2018
by Malaka
with 0 Comments

My two oldest children are 13 and 11 years old, which means that they are just about done losing teeth. This is a good thing, because there are few things creepier than tiptoeing into a pre-teens room in the dead of night, swathed only in…

The Key To Great Parenting Is Simple. Have Some Sympathy.

Posted on March 8, 2018
by Malaka
with 3 Comments

Sympathy noun Understanding between people; common feeling It doesn’t matter if your child is a few days old or well into their fifties; a parent is most likely to assess an unfamiliar scenario with one uppermost question: “Am I responding to this situation the right…

There is a Long History of the ‘Nakia Ideology’. I Have Come So That We Might Honor It.

Posted on February 23, 2018
by Malaka
with 5 Comments

It’s another thought piece centering on Black Panther, y’all! Just ride with me for a sec. I think it will be worth your while. Since the release of Black Panther last week, there have been many conversations (and on certain Sci-Fi fan pages, outright…

There Is Dignity In All Work

Posted on January 22, 2018
by Malaka
with 0 Comments

“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as a Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say,…

10 Great Gifts For Tween Boys

Posted on December 23, 2017
by Malaka
with 0 Comments

Is your little man tired of receiving khakis, hoodies and socks for Christmas? Has exhaustion from exerting yourself all year depleted your creative capacity? Do you want him - like his father- to just be grateful for the gift of refined cotton?? If the title…

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