A New Mom's Insights

Hi, and welcome.

This blog is all about being a mother (a working mother too) in Israel of 2008. I intend to write a weekly entry for the first 12 months of my son's life – at least I hope I manage to do so - I might continue afterwards too, we'll see how it goes…

My name is Ofra and 3 months ago I gave birth to my first son Jonathan and my life changed!

You may wonder why I am doing this. Well, it's for posterity. It is hoped that my son will be able to be master enough of the English language to enjoy this text (and the ones that will follow) when he is older. Also I hope to read this again in twenty years and laugh at myself. Additionally, when my children have children, I hope they might even find this helpful – after all parenthood will remain an overall new experience also in 20-30 years time, although the technology of raising children will probably change (hey! 30 years ago my mom had to use fabric diapers, I am sooo grateful for today's one time nappies ).

Another important reason is that everyone says kids are the most wonderful thing! But no one stops to remember the tough parts… the thing is, being a mom is a whole new existence (as I am sure being a dad is too, but I cannot write about that from first hand experience) and there is a lot to get used to – and this is the part no one really dwells about in detail, at least not out loud. So new parents have practically little warning about the extent of what lies ahead. I hope to change that, even if just a little bit.

Although I am living and writing in Israel, I am sure that most of my experiences are international and that mothers all over the world go through similar experiences. I would be happy to learn if that is really true through any comments I might receive on this site. This is not just for mothers, but anyone who would care to read about my journey, as I learn all about the art of raising children.

So, here goes…