May 13th 2000 5.40pm I finally enter the doctor’s room with Tony. I assure him that Tony is the father and can stay. He asks about our relationship, which I find uncomfortable. He wants to know whether we are married, how long we have known each other…the nitty gritties… I think he is intruding my…

‘Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love, but to use violence to get what they want’, advised an old lady from Calcutta famed as Mother Theresa. Perhaps that was the reckoning of the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) when they included a clause in the revised harmonized draft constitution stating that…

Shampoo, sharp scissors, combs and hair brushes—all seemingly harmless things that – ‘ we use to enhance our beauty but which have the potential to put your 4-year-old into a fit of temper. Many of us recall going to the dreaded salon in our childhood, particularly if our hair was the ‘steel wool’ type. In…

How to cope with the ‘minority rulers’ I tell you, there is nothing in the world like coming home in the evening to the embrace of a baby,’ says Steve Omwanda, an IT specialist and father of four. ‘Holding that baby close to you can cure a man of all ills!’ Babies are those little, wingless angels who, when placed…

Teething may be one of the greatest nightmares mothers go through. The issue could seem even worse for first time mothers who may not understand what is going on with their bundle of joy let alone be able to handle them. When children are teething, they become sickly, whinny and look frustrated. By the time…

I am convinced that you will not believe me if I told you that it is normal for your child to faint, at least when he is still below the age of 15 years. Medical research has recently proven that over 30 per cent of children worldwide have had a fainting episode. When this happens,…

A teacher draws a snake and asks her class, ‘How many feet do you think this snake is?’ Jane, the cleverest girl, lifts her hand smiling and confidently pipes up, ‘Snakes have no feet.’ – After school, John goes home hungry and with a stomach upset. The mother asks what he did with his lunch…

Most countries, Kenya included, have achieved the United Nations goal of reducing deaths from measles by 90 per cent between 2000 and 2010. The World Health Organization (WHO) attributes this to vigorous vaccination campaigns. However, experts fear that there might be a resurgence in deaths from measles if the vaccination efforts are not sustained, because…