This post is part of the Global Moms Relay. Every time you share this post, Johnson & Johnson will donate $1 (per action), up to $300,000, to four causes helping improve the health and wellbeing of moms and kids worldwide: MAMA, Shot@Life, U.S. Fund for UNICEF and Girl Up. Scroll to the bottom to find out more.
You work with so many moms every day, which traits do you see all moms have in common?
Complete selflessness, a complete ability to love unconditionally with their whole hearts. It is one of the most beautiful things to be around.
What do you wish for mother, both locally and around the world?
That we would start to truly lean upon each other much sooner than we do. The level of competitiveness among us is incredibly destructive. With so much love to give it seems such a crime that we are not able to give more of it to each other. I don't think we can achieve balance alone. There is a reason we always existed in tribes, and that sense of community needs to return around the world.
What do you think we can all do to make this planet a better, happier place?
Love ourselves. I know that probably sounds a bit narcissistic, but it's entirely the opposite. When a person truly has self-love, they care about their environment and that it's preserved, they care about the food that enters their bodies, that their interactions with others are positive, and they fill those around them with the love and confidence they need. People who don't love themselves don't care enough about themselves to take care of the world they live in nor the people that live in it with them.
My Nana gave me a t-shirt as a child which read, "Why should I clean my room when the world is in such a mess." I used to love it and wear it in opposition, as if I was smarter than those adults asking me to tidy up after myself. I now realize, while funny, this t-shirt sort of embodies our problem. Caring for ourselves, for our environment, is a part of self-love and the first step in caring for the world. So while many are out there trying to make the world a better place, just don't forget to do the same in your own home with your own family.
What kind of world do you want for your family in 2030?
I want a world in which global kindness, education, health and community are understood as the real things that will elevate each nation. Treating each other based upon our differences and focusing on self-gain can never result in a better place for our children. I truly hope for a sense of global community in which we can all help lift each other up rather than pushing people down. Humanity craves community, and so that is what we should be working towards as opposed to a lonely place with a few on top and so many scrambling below.
How has your personal story shaped you and your vision of the future?
I grew up amongst some amazing men and women who believed passionately in fighting for others, in amazing acts of kindness and generosity for those less fortunate. But I also grew up in a culture in which these extraordinary acts were more easily carried out outside of the home rather than within. I think we must practice what we preach both in and out of the home. Fighting for the rights of others is incredibly important and admirable, and we need to also teach those core values to our children. We must be the ones filling them with the love they need to go on and to be the good, happy people the world needs them to be. My vision for the future is dedicated to each individual in an effort to make the whole a better place. The old Jewish proverb, "Save a child, save the world" is something that really speaks to me and I hope to you.
What's one way you teach your children about helping others?
I am from England and we have a day called Boxing Day -- December 26th. Sadly, the traditional, kind acts of Boxing Day are no longer celebrated in the UK, but it's still a national holiday, and I am determined to bring its true meaning back. Our family celebrates it every year. Traditionally, the day after Christmas, families would "box" up any left-over foods or gifts and leave them on their doorsteps for people to pick up if they were in need, hence "boxing" day. Our family doesn't literally leave things on our doorstep, but Boxing Day and the act of giving after all the excess of the holidays allows our children (and us) to think about gratitude and how they can help others.
How do your children and the children around you inspire you?
As a mom, I realize what it is to be really needed. They depend on me, they need me for everyday things, but they also need me to try to leave them with a world that is a wonderful place. Being needed is inspiring, but it is also a frightening, cold shower! I try to take that as a challenge to be a better person, and to leave them with a better place. To be needed is powerful, perhaps the ultimate inspiration, because if I don't do it for them, who will?
You share, they give: Each time you 'like' or share this post via the social media icons on this post or comment below, Johnson & Johnson will donate $1 (per action) up to $300,000, to improve the health and wellbeing of moms and kids worldwide through MAMA, Shot@Life, U.S. Fund for UNICEF and Girl Up. $1 provides 1 life-saving measles vaccine for a child in the Philippines through Shot@Life.
You can also use the Donate A Photo* app and Johnson & Johnson will donate $1 when you upload a photo for Girl Up or UNICEF, up to $100,000. You can help make a difference in seconds with the click of your mouse or snap of your smart phone. Share this post with the hashtag #GlobalMoms, and visit GlobalMomsRelay.org to learn more. The United Nations Foundation, Johnson & Johnson, BabyCenter and The Huffington Post created the Global Moms Relay with a goal of improving the lives of women and children around the globe.
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