The BossMom Magazine (B3's 10th Anniversary Commemorative Edition)

Ailan’s Mommy

Theirs is a relationship that speaks volumes. By the time Ailan is ready to read Letters To Ailan (his mother’s first book), he would have already been familiar with, and completely understood its contents. Wendy and Ailan communicate in a manner that was virtually unheard of in a West Indian family just a generation ago. “What do you think of this, Ailan?” Wendy asks of her 9-year-old son. He looks up briefly from his iPad to tell his mom that he thinks her dress looks great. “That colour looks good on you, Mommy,” he manages to say before returning his attention to his tablet. “Ailan’s opinion is important, and he knows that without a doubt, because I genuinely value what he has to say,” Wendy explains. Against the background of a culture long known for raising children to be seen and not heard, Wendy proudly champions a new era of parenting that not only values the opinion of its children, but encourages their participation in day-to-day activities and decision-making.