A Secret to Success as a Working Mom: Turn Burn Out Into Bliss and Embrace Joy

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Last weekend my youngest was committed to going to the "Water Steps" a man-made water fall in Pittsburgh by the rivers. (Fun Fact: Three rivers converge in Pittsburgh--The Ohio River, The Monongahela River, and the Allegheny River.)  He kept asking. I knew he was serious when he said, "If you won't take me, I'll ask  daddy!" Given that it was highly unlikely that would happen on an unscheduled day, I relented. So, we went. It wasn’t planned in the way most things in my life are. No calendar block. No checklist. No “productive” purpose attached. And, so in some respects it was uncomfortable. And yet, it seemed necessary. It was the idea of my 8-year-old—offered with the kind of urgency only children possess when something is profoundly important to them.
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Malala, A Modern Day Heroine (#HeNamedMeMalala)

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One reason that I blog is because I believe that I am contributing to a valuable conversation. For that reason, I was honored that I was asked to spread the word about a provocative movie telling the story about an amazing young woman, Malala Yousafzi.
Wikipedia describes Malala as,
"a Pakistani activist for female education and the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate.[4] She is known mainly for human rights advocacy for education and for women in her native Swat Valley in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of northwest Pakistan, where the local Taliban had at times banned girls from attending school.
See Malala Yousafzi
I describe Malala as a modern day heroine. I use those words because she had the courage to do something that most would not do. She risked her life, and nearly died, trying to obtain an education. And after she was the victim of an attempted assassination she had the courage to keep going, to fight harder, and to scream even louder for equal access to education.

As the mother of a daughter her courage astounds me. I hope that I raise my daughter to have the same courage in her convictions and the confidence to believe that she can make a difference. I will make sure that my daughter is familiar with Malala and her story.

As the daughter of an educator, and one who grew up surrounded by my aunties (my mother's dearest friends) who were all educators, I believe in equal access to education. The fact that there are countries where young girls are unable to freely obtain an education saddens me deeply. I hope that my support of this movie helps to increase the awareness of this issue, motivates people to support the movie, and to ultimately support the cause. None of us are truly free until we are all free.

To support equal access to education, and to learn more are the Malala Fund click here.




In Pittsburgh, the movie will be shown at The Manor Theater.

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