It goes by many different names. The International Day of the Child. The Universal Children’s Day. The National Child Day in individual countries.

However, it doesn’t matter what it’s called. November 20 is a special day for children all over the world.

When it all started

It was almost 55 years ago when the General Assembly of the United Nations recommended that the special day be observed to celebrate “worldwide fraternity and understanding between children.” The Assembly decided on November 20 as the special day which also marks the day when the Declaration of the Rights of the Child was adopted in 1959 and Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989. Today, all over the world, countries, organizations and schools celebrated this very special day.

How I celebrated the Universal Child’s Day

I live in Switzerland, one of the smallest but most diverse countries in Europe. When one of my sons’ teachers asked for extra help for this day, I immediately volunteered despite my full schedule. Each class at the school had chosen a country to celebrate its culture and tradition. One of my sons’ class had chosen England; the other Pakistan. The schoolchildren from the neighboring town were invited over so they can celebrate together. My task was to show the children how to prepare cucumber sandwiches and tea for a typical English repast – English tea. I am not English, but I am familiar with the culture and I speak the language.

The classrooms were so wonderfully decorated according to the theme country and many parents lent a hand. A Daddy from Togo played African beats on drums. A Mommy from Thailand made lots of spring rolls while a Swiss Mommy married to a Pakistani baked patties from her husband’s region.

All 500 plus of the school kids then gathered outside, joined hands, and formed a big circle around the school house. Afterwards, Universal Child Day balloons were released.

It was a long morning for the kids. It was great chance for us moms to participate in such an event. My sons were so proud to tell their classmates “That’s my Mom. She helped us make the cucumber sandwiches.”

What the Universal Children’s Day means

As the name indicates, today was a day dedicated to each and every child in the world. However, it doesn’t stop there. It is also the chance to draw attention to the plight of children in low income regions. Yes, somewhere in the world, children still suffer from:

• Poverty. According to a study, 1 in 3 children in developing countries has no access to sanitation facilities. 1 in5 has not access to clean water.

• Child labor. The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates that 218 million children are being used as labourers, with the highest numbers in the Asian-Pacific region.

• Child abuse. 80 to 98% of children suffer from physical punishment at home. More than 50,000 die as a result of homicide.

• Diseases. Millions of children die from malaria, tuberculosis and other diseases which are easily preventable and curable in developed countries.

• Lack of education. 13% of children aged 7 to 28 years in developing countries (approx. 140 million children) have never attended school, most of them girls.

• Discrimination and racism.

Many of us may not realize that these things are not only happening in some remote country. It may be happening in our own neighborhood. Here in Switzerland, the main problems children have to contend with are racism and discrimination.

I really applaud the school’s efforts to introduce the children to other cultures, thereby broadening their horizon and promoting tolerance, respect and appreciation for diversity. I was proud to be part of this effort. And I hope that other parents will participate more in the coming years to help make this world a better place for our kids.

As my nephew is about to celebrate his first birthday, I?ve started to think about all of the parties we?ve held for our boys over the years.

While it can be fun to celebrate your kids? birthdays in a variety of places (trust me, I?ve been to ?em all), my favorite parties are always those spent at home. I value the time and effort that parents put into hosting their parties.

When it comes to party planning, I have learned that some things are worth splurging a bit on and others are usually a waste of money. Party hats are cute and may reflect your party?s theme, if you have one, but they are almost always worn for five minutes and then quickly forgotten. The same is true of theme- or character- oriented plates and napkins. I learned pretty quickly that basic colorful plates and napkins work just fine; kids are usually much more interested in the yummy cake on top of their plates than the design beneath it.

Party favors, on the other hand, usually get reluctant kids to say ?goodbye? when the party?s over. They are souvenirs from your child?s special occasion. I really like the theme-oriented party-favor boxes sold by BirthdayExpress.com.

It takes more effort to make up your own goody bags but can actually be fun, especially if the birthday child is involved.

Sometimes the biggest party-favor hits are one larger prize to take home. We had a sports-themed party in our backyard for our son?s third birthday. We sent each child home with an inflated ball. They were similar to beach balls but were instead footballs, soccer balls and basketballs. They seemed like something the kids would enjoy playing with for a few days. They were definitely a hit.

Inflatable toys such as this can be purchased from Oriental Trading Company. The website and catalog are full of fun party and craft supplies at reasonable rates?which brings me to another activity at that third birthday: The kids made sports door hangers for their rooms (although I think I may have given the girls pink and purple hangers with flowers to decorate).

We lined up several long tables for the kids to eat and make crafts on, and covered them with paper (from a big roll). We put several small buckets of crayons on the tables and the kids had fun doodling.

At later parties (when our sons were at least five), I wrote something like ?Ben is 5!? on a large piece of poster-board, in colorful letters. Each guest was asked to sign the poster as a memento of our boys? special day.

I?d love to hear all of your ideas for babies? and preschoolers? birthday parties!

If Mother’s Day rolls around and you’re pregnant – but you don’t have any other children yet – you’ll probably still feel entitled to celebrate. After all, you’re growing a baby inside you, and if that doesn’t make you eligible to get some recognition on Mother’s Day then I’m not sure what does. Celebrating your very first Mother’s Day is a really special thing, even if your baby hasn’t been born yet.

Of course you realize that your unborn baby can’t really sign a card or send you flowers, so naturally you may expect for your husband to get you a little something on behalf of your baby. You might await the day with great anticipation. It’s your first official Mother’s Day, right?

Here is the thing: Some husbands just don’t make the connection. The baby isn’t born yet, so they may still be in the mode of figuring out what to get their own moms instead of devising some clever way to help you celebrate effectively. In other words, if you want to get the reverence you deserve on this special day, you’re going to have to drop a few hints. Try some of these:

“I’m so excited about celebrating my very first Mother’s Day!”

“If you’re wondering what I might like for Mother’s Day, how about a pedicure for my swollen feet?”

Or, my personal favorite:

“I’m going to celebrate Mother’s Day this year. Buy me stuff.”

Okay, okay, so you may not want to be so blatant, and plenty of women don’t really want anything fancy and would just appreciate acknowledgment. Your first Mother’s Day should be special, and if you have the feeling that your husband may not easily make the connection himself then you should let him know.

Remember, pregnant ladies: You are a mommy now.

Why do military kids have an entire month dedicated to them? To answer this question, think about all the things that military kids endure:

1. Their parents have to head out on deployment often, sometimes for months at a time. This means that military kids have to grow up with one or both parents gone a lot of the time, with limited communication as the norm.
2. Military kids have to move a lot. Service people get assigned to new military installations as often as every couple of years, so it’s not uncommon for military children to spend a couple of years stateside, then get uprooted to some overseas location, and then off to an entirely different location a couple of years down the road. This isn’t easy for adults, let alone kids.
3. Young military children don’t understand that all the people who attack the military – or, at the very least, loudly denounce the military in the media – aren’t personally attacking their own parents. This can be incredibly confusing for children.

People talk about spouses taking the brunt of the stress from having a military spouse, but people who experience military life know that it’s the kids who must have thick skins and be adaptable.

So why is this the month of the Military Child? The reason is simple: To celebrate the littlest troops this country has.

Today we are celebrating the International Women?s Day?for the 97th time!
Here are the major milestones of that led to this annual event:

? 1908 -15,000 women marched through New York City to demand for better working conditions and the right to vote.

? 1909 ? The first US National Women?s Day was held on 28 February of this year.

? 1910. In an international meeting in Copenhagen, an International Women?s Day (IWD) was proposed and unanimously approved.

? 1911 ?IWD was celebrated for the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland on 19 March. More countries followed suit in the years to come.

Today, IWD is celebrated all over the world to honor the women?s rights movement. Starting with the struggle for women’s basic rights to work, vote, be educated, hold public office and end discrimination in the early 1900s to the feminists movement of the 1970s and up to now, IWD and all the organizations supporting it are doing their best to protect those hard-worn rights and to help women who are still suppressed up to this day.

To celebrate IWD, 589 different events will be organized in 52 countries this coming Saturday. To find out about 2008 IWD events, some of which may be happening near where you live, click here.

I knew during my pregnancy that one day I wouldn’t be able to see my feet anymore, and I was prepared for it. I actually looked forward to it a little, believe it or not. The whole experience of carrying a baby inside me was new and interesting, but it all seemed a little surreal and unbelievable. Am I the only pregnant woman to actually think to herself, “How in the world is there a living thing in there?” As my belly expanded it all became much more tangible.

The day I lost my feet was a landmark day for me. I was in the shower, and when I looked down to scrub my feet I couldn’t see them. My belly was so big that I couldn’t even see the tips of my toes. Mind you, if I hadn’t been pregnant this probably wouldn’t be cause for celebration, but after my shower I dashed to the phone and called all my female relatives and friends. “I lost my feet!” I announced breathlessly. They all cheered.

My husband – bless his heart – wasn’t quite sure how to react to my announcement, and I could see the wheels in his head turning: “Am I supposed to think this is good, or do I console her about the weight gain?” I assured him it was good news, and cause for a celebration.

I didn’t see my feet from a standing position again until after my daughter was born, but I will never forget the sheer joy that came with losing sight of the tip of my toes. I wonder if I’m the only woman who made such a big deal out of this.

Remember New Year?s Eve, before kids? I actually birthed a child 11 minutes after midnight on New Year?s Day 1999. Now that was a holiday to remember! That next year, I realized how close Christmas and New Year?s Day really are!
You remember?how the world was preparing for doomsday for Y2K? I was preparing for that and trying to figure out how to pull off a first birthday party if the world fell apart. Not an easy task. I remember the eerie feeling going to pick up her birthday cake the day before (the local grocery story had a free cake special that day? hmmmm) and watching people hoard the milk, toilet paper and water. As I walked down the aisles to get to the check out line, I noticed that they were bare. Very, very weird.

There?s always been a week between Christmas and New Year?s. Always. However, as I?ve learned now that I am older, time is very relative. Time seems to lengthen dramatically when you are very pregnant. That year I birthed my daughter, a week seemed to last a month. Now that I have 5 children, the week between Christmas and New Year?s Day and DD number 4?s birthday just flies by.

Now that the kids are older, they realize that New Year?s Eve is a big bash, not just for us, but for most everyone. They aren?t just interested in our family celebration but they want to do the whole big party thing. Stay up late, watch the ball drop, attend the bonfires at our church complete with food and pony rides, etc. All that, and then get up and celebrate a birthday the next day. Sure.

We?ve tried to let the kids stay up until midnight or even beyond. It just doesn?t work. They end up crabby, and we end up crabby. This year with a new baby, there?s just no way I?m even going to entertain the idea of allowing them up past bedtime. I?m already tired just thinking about it. In fact, this morning, I was so tired, I gave a bottle to our puppy. Now that?s just sad.

This year we?ve decided to have a New Year?s Eve celebration for the kids exactly at 12:00?noon that is. I found a cool web site with lots of links for activities for New Year?s for the kids to do. Also, the local aquarium is having a party for kids New Year?s Eve day. We?ll be checking that out.

Will they be disappointed? Probably. Will they miss out? No. They?ll have lots of fun on that day, and even be able to celebrate the next day too.