Title: Global Mom
Author: Melissa Dalton-Bradford
Basic Overview
Raising children is challenging enough when you are doing it in a language you know, in a culture you’re familiar with. Imagine mothering in another country, in another language, surrounded by customs and cultures you’ve never encountered. That is exactly what Melissa Dalton-Bradford has done. But she didn’t just do it once. She raised her family in eight different countries using five different languages!!!
Global Mom chronicles how Melissa helped her family of four children adjust and thrive at sixteen international addresses. Why all the moves? Melissa’s husband has worked for multinational companies, which have sent him to locations in Europe, Asia, and the United States, often with little warning. In this memoir, Melissa shares how it wasn’t always easy but how it was definitely worth it for everyone in her family.
Melissa made a conscious decision right from the start for her family to fully embrace each new homeland. That meant immersing themselves in all aspects: food, friends, church, school, and language. The Bradford family chose to forfeit speaking English so that they could more quickly adapt to the new world around them. Consequently, the Bradford family members are all fluent in several languages.
How This Book made an Impact on My Life, Especially as a Mother (or Why I Just Really Liked It)
I was interested in reading this book for a couple of reasons. The obvious one was that I was curious to see how Melissa made her global mothering transitions. Secondly, I had previously visited some of her foreign destinations and wanted to relive my short travels against her long time living arrangements. I came away with all this and a lot more. Melissa shares her version of how to handle commonplace mothering amidst a foreign backdrop. There was one experience, however, that caught me totally off guard and even shook me up a bit. What I ultimately learned from it was how compassion, faith, and love know no global boundaries.
Global Mom was a wonderful read. If you ever dreamed about living abroad with your family–or just want to visit other countries through someone else’s perspective–this book is for you. Global Mom will open your eyes and your heart.
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Wow…I can’t even imagine moving SIXTEEN times! Let alone to different countries each time.
I dream of living abroad with our family. It’s been a dream of mine since before I was married. I would love to read this book in preparation of this dream, or maybe just to live vicariously through her experiences!
This sounds intriguing! What an inspiration to all the travelling families challenged with language and cultural barriers.
Lovining this book so far and I’m only in the second country.
I loved this book!! You’re review is fine, but you failed to mention the most powerful part of the book when the author experiences the most foreign land of them all: the land of loss. Perhaps, you are trying to avoid a spoiler. This book is very personal, and you finish it feeling like you are a member of the author’s family; however, it’s always amazing to me that the more personal something is, the more universal it is at the same time. I was taught in so many ways I will never be the same. Can’t recommend it highly enough.