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selective mutism

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In: Lived Experiences, More

As a mother, to help my daughter who is fourteen and has selective mutism, I try to imagine how it feels to live a life in silence; how might it feel to go to a place where I do not know anyone and am not able to ask or answer, even though I do know how to speak and everyone tells me how clever and how bright I am; to hear the words, “don’t ask her, she can’t speak.” It is not true, but I just can’t prove them wrong. Our story started back in kindergarten when the teacher asked if she could visit us,Read More…

Paulina Dembska

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It’s 6am, on one of those glorious mornings after a night of rain, and I am doing my daily walk, the day after Paulina Dembska ’s rape and murder. All of a sudden I am afraid, as I realise I’m walking alone. I am afraid for myself and for those who identify as women in our country. I am afraid for one of my daughters who had to run home at night, as a man was following her, after being touched and harassed on a bus while everyone there turned a blind eye. I am afraid, for another one of my teenage daughters, who myRead More…

life

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People say that life is a wonderful journey, full of lessons, love and friendship. Childhood is supposed to be filled with rainbows, green yards, play, and friends screaming and running after each other. The teenage years are said to be friendship based; you make friends, go out, maybe find the one, do the most important exams you’ll ever face in your life – and pass them. Then comes adulthood, when life seems to start settling down, you find a job, maybe get into a stable relationship, marriage, children, whatever may come – you’re happy. I feel like a liar saying all this. This is notRead More…

it's okay not to be ok

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In: Blogs, Mariposa's Blog, More, Women

Being diagnosed with social anxiety was one of the weirdest and unexpected things I have ever experienced. This is why… I have always been seen as a social butterfly. One who smiles at strangers. One who wins silly dance competitions during parties. One who communicates and compliments everyone who crosses her path. Meanwhile, another side of me always feared judgement. So despite the positive social approach I exhibited at times, I was still one who sat at the back of the class so other students would not mock her behind her back. One who would prefer to be in bed at 10pm watching a seriesRead More…

roseanne women for women foundation

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In: Lived Experiences, More

Roseanne* is a mother with very young children, the youngest is just a few months old and already suffers from asthma. She is a survivor of domestic violence, and is trying extremely hard to budget her little income to make the food last and pay her rent and bills. The violence she has endured has left her in financial ruin, making her path back to stability a very difficult one. Her youngest child is sick and needs frequent visits to the health centre, effectively keeping Roseanne out of work since she is the only caregiver for her child. With so little money to go around,Read More…

losing a beloved pet

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I cannot believe I’m writing this article. Why do we have to lose those whom we love? The death I experienced recently was not a human death, but rather an animal death. The feelings I’m experiencing are too much for me to handle. It feels like I lost my best friend; like I lost someone who loved me unconditionally; who was there for me regardless of the time or day; who had the ability to smell my sadness from rooms away and come next to me to make me feel a tad better. Feels like I lost someone who was there for me for 18Read More…

coming out

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In: Blogs, Mariposa's Blog

I have been debating on whether or not I should write this article ever since I found out that an awareness day on Coming Out exists somewhere in the world. However, fear stopped me from doing so; fear of judgement, fear of harassment, fear of being discriminated against, and so on. I thought about putting this article in my name, yet I am still not ready for some reactions I may get – writing it anonymously dissociates me from being the writer, thus certain criticism can be taken less harshly. The downfall to this is that if it were to be in my name, thoseRead More…

judging prejudice

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In: Lived Experiences, More

“Being unique is the best thing you can do” “You should not judge others” I bet it’s not the first time you heard similar statements. But have you ever stopped and wondered about the connection between such statements? Well, let me tell you a story which, I believe, would help you understand what I mean when I say ‘connection’. A few weeks ago, before the new scholastic year commenced, my family and I decided to go on a ‘lovely’ shopping trip called “uniform hunting”, or better known this year as “going for uniforms but after arriving we find out there are only a few left”.Read More…

no means no

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In: Blogs, Mariposa's Blog

Your persistence is not flattering. There was a time in my life where i would say “I’m sorry” after such a statement, but I realise I shouldn’t be sorry for speaking out the truth. There was also a time where I would view statements like “let me drive you home” and “we should meet up, you know, to have a pizza on Tuesday”, as interest in a positive way. But repeating yourself and staying persistent cancels out the positive thoughts that I could have developed about you. I should not tell you “no” a thousand times for you to understand that I do not wantRead More…

back to school tips for mums

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In: Education, More

As we near the end of Summer, our minds as mothers naturally shift to the thought of our children going back to school. Needless to say, this might bring about a wave of anxiety – “Do I need to buy more uniforms? What about school shoes and socks? And we’ll definitely need backpacks, pencil cases, bottles and lunchboxes…oh lunches! What lunches are best for fussy eaters like my little one? Oh I really hope the kids settle down easily at school this year. That reminds me…there is still transport and who knows what else that I still need to think about…“ While such inner conflictRead More…