My SITs Feature Day—Welcome!

If this is your first time to my blog, then welcome! I’ve been hoping for this day since I first read about SITs in the New York Times almost a year ago. To have my blog be featured on their site is a huge honor, and it makes me feel like a true blogger.

Now, if you haven’t immediately gone to the “About the Author” page, you may be asking yourself—

Why a “book”?

The reason is simple: I never intended to start a blog. For years I had been thinking about writing down my words of advice for my daughter—something that she had once asked me to do. When confronted with a blank page, however, I suddenly didn’t know where to begin. Without belaboring the decision—something I have a tendency to do—I googled “creating a blog” and the next thing I knew, my blog “a Book for My Daughter” was born.

I’ve been thinking about how to describe it, and I think the only way to do it would be to say—

I tell stories.

I tell stories about my life—my childhood, my young-adulthood while living in Istanbul, and my life since becoming a mother.  Each story is written as a lesson for my daughter—something for her to take with her as she grows up and must navigate the world around her on her own. Some are serious, like when she didn’t get into the dance company she had tried out for. Others are ridiculous, like when I was confronted by how truly odd my children actually are.

What I have found since starting this blog, however, is that these words of advice for my daughter are more than just that—they are words of advice for anyone who comes to my blog. Each story has resonated with others in a way that I could never have imagined. Each lesson is one that people have either experienced in their own lives, or it is one that just prompts them to stop and think.

The blog is divided into sections, each one focusing on a different area of my life. In “The Prologue,” you will find stories of my youth—from my feelings about my childhood homes to my fears on report-card day. In “Istanbul Life,” I tell the story of how I ended up in a country halfway around the world, along with how I met my husband. “My Advice” is a place to capture all of my words of wisdom from avoiding “mean girls” to loving yourself the way you are. Lastly, I have “A Chapter for My Son,” a place that seems to be getting more and more attention as he is growing up. And, if you are still looking for something read, check out “Best of the Book” for a sampling of my favorite posts.

I hope you will stay awhile and read a story or two—you won’t be disappointed.