Adam is past the six-month mark and we have been caught up in the excitement of introducing him to solids. It’s easier this time round because I read up so much on the subject when I had my first son. Therefore, by the time Adam arrived, I had already tried the Gina Ford childcare guidelines, the Annabel Karmel nutritional tips for babies and so on. I knew I would head in Karmel’s direction.
So I went looking for organic vegetables and prepared Adam’s menu for the whole week. Carrot would be the first thing I would introduce, followed by other root vegetables and fruit. I started on Saturday so that I could be home with him, but when Sunday came round it dawned on me that I would be at work. When would I feed him, I wondered. And would I have to delegate this memorable milestone in my son’s life to the nanny?
This story is pertinent in the context of Sheikha Bodour Bint Sultan Al Qasimi’s recent article on these pages. She noted that “motherly care for a newborn baby is instinctive, is natural and is necessary for the physical and emotional well-being of our future generations. A nanny or a relative will never replace the care of a mother no matter how good and caring they are. It’s a given fact.”
This point was repeated at a lecture series on becoming a parent recently organised by the Salama Bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation. Parent-child relationships, the lecturers said, are important for a child to properly manage emotion.
So, that first Sunday morning after I introduced solids to my six-month-old, I slumped into my office chair and sighed. How and when will I feed Adam? Perhaps after work? With each day of the work week, Adam’s suppertime became later. On Monday, I fed him at 5. Tuesday was late and I fed him at 6. On Wednesday, I was so busy I forgot.
When we started a new week in the introduction of solids, and the baby reached for me as I left for work, I couldn’t help but shed a tear. When I returned, it would be blissful to see him and spend a couple of hours bathing, feeding and playing with him. But missing the bulk of the day with Adam hurt and like many others, I have been forced to wonder, how much of a mother am I? Surely there is much more to mothering than the occasional interaction? Surely there is a lot more to becoming a parent than providing for a child’s basic needs? In the parenting lecture series, the lecturers talked about how a child’s brain is shaped by the early quality of their experiences.
As a Shamsa Fellow of the Salama Bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation studying child development, I know that children can get very attached to multiple people. As a working mother, I take some comfort from this. So Adam won’t forget me because he’s with his nanny.
We are blessed with visionary leadership so I look forward to the day our nation provides extended maternity leave to mothers. It should last at least six months. This would help mothers attend to many simple yet crucial things, not least breastfeeding and bonding.
But what will happen when the six-month period runs out? Adam will still need me and I must still work. As Sheikha Bodour noted: “It is emotionally very hard for mothers to leave their babies behind and additionally difficult to forsake professional dreams and ambitions.”
Can organisations consider mother packages where we are offered flexible hours or the options to work from home or a part time option or the option for three full days and two home days?
There are many possible choices and many possible combinations of choices to enable women to work and be good mothers at the same time.
Khawla Saleh is a Shamsa Fellow with the Salama Bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation, in partnership with Yale University
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The%20end%20of%20Summer
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20Salha%20Al%20Busaidy%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPages%3A%20316%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPublisher%3A%20The%20Dreamwork%20Collective%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor
Price, base / as tested Dh220,000 / Dh320,000
Engine 3.5L V6
Transmission 10-speed automatic
Power 421hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 678Nm @ 3,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 14.1L / 100km
Haircare resolutions 2021
From Beirut and Amman to London and now Dubai, hairstylist George Massoud has seen the same mistakes made by customers all over the world. In the chair or at-home hair care, here are the resolutions he wishes his customers would make for the year ahead.
1. 'I will seek consultation from professionals'
You may know what you want, but are you sure it’s going to suit you? Haircare professionals can tell you what will work best with your skin tone, hair texture and lifestyle.
2. 'I will tell my hairdresser when I’m not happy'
Massoud says it’s better to offer constructive criticism to work on in the future. Your hairdresser will learn, and you may discover how to communicate exactly what you want more effectively the next time.
3. ‘I will treat my hair better out of the chair’
Damage control is a big part of most hairstylists’ work right now, but it can be avoided. Steer clear of over-colouring at home, try and pursue one hair brand at a time and never, ever use a straightener on still drying hair, pleads Massoud.
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
