Parenthood - Women of Rubies

In Interviews&profile September 18, 2023 By Esther Ijewere

Kimberly Jolasun: The Founder Who Helped Black Moms Raise $1 Million for Their Babies’ Needs

Kimberly Jolasun, the exceptional inventor of Villie.com, is celebrating the platform’s outstanding accomplishment in assisting numerous Black mothers all across the United States establish online fundraisers to support their baby’s needs in an era where connectivity is crucial. With a total fundraising effort of more than $1 million so far, Villie has proven itself as a pioneering destination for expectant and new parents.

A Digital Village for Moms Across the Country

Headquartered in Atlanta, Villie.com is redefining the way expecting and new parents connect, raise funds, receive gifts, and unite their village in the digital era. The platform is dedicated to simplifying the process of receiving support and offers a range of tools designed to empower parents to effortlessly engage their community. It creates personalized websites where the shared journey of parenthood is not only embraced but celebrated.

Kimberly Jolasun, the driving force behind Villie.com, shares her vision: “We believe that no parent should have to navigate parenthood alone, and our mission at Villie.com is to empower every family to get support from their village with ease.”

Supporting Black Moms in a Critical Time

The United States is witnessing a concerning rise in maternal mortality rates, particularly among Black women. The disparity is alarming, with Black women experiencing a maternal mortality rate more than double the national average and nearly three times higher than that of white women, irrespective of income.

Villie.com is on a mission to bridge this gap by bringing communities together and providing unwavering support to mothers throughout their pregnancy, birth, and beyond. With over $1 million raised for Black moms, Villie continues to expand its reach as word spreads about its vital mission. The platform recognizes that every mom’s definition of support is unique and continually develops features and functions to cater to these diverse needs.

Cultural Inspiration and Community Values

Villie.com draws inspiration from the rich tapestry of West African traditions, where community support is a cornerstone of the parenting experience. Kimberly Jolasun’s personal experiences have driven her to develop a platform that embodies the support families provide to new parents.

Kimberly emphasizes, “Villie is here to bridge the geographical gaps, reconnecting families and friends in an immersive digital village where each shared moment becomes a cherished memory.”

Parenting in the Digital Age

As a tech startup, Villie.com has garnered support from venture capital investors like Fearless Fund, XRC Ventures, and TxO by a16z. This support is especially crucial, given the challenges faced by women of color in accessing venture capital funding. Villie’s team is a diverse mix of ethnicities, including mothers and fathers of young children under five, who deeply understand the issues that need addressing.

The platform seamlessly combines tradition with technology, even incorporating the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance the user experience. Kimberly notes, “It’s pretty incredible to see that for most parents, our tools are their first experience with AI.” Villie offers an empowering experience that enables parents to cultivate a supportive village during the most significant chapters of their lives.

Join the Village at Villie.com

For those interested in joining this digital village of support and empowerment, visit Villie.com to discover more about the platform and sign up. Villie.com is not just revolutionizing the way Black moms connect and receive support; it’s rewriting the narrative of community, care, and connection in the digital age.

In self development November 24, 2019 By Esther Ijewere

MISTAKES CAN HELP YOUR KIDS BECOME INDEPENDENT

Becoming independent is a critical part of growth and making mistakes can be a natural phenomenon that every individual will go through. How it is handled and lessons learnt from mistakes make the difference.

When kids make mistakes, most parents can be quick to judge their incompetence and lack of maturity, but then, it is a learning curve that gives everyone the opportunity to grow and become truly independent.

According to a parenting enthusiast and mum, Gift Adokie, when kids make mistakes that embarrass or disappoint their parents, it is important for parents to learn how to overcome the feelings of failure and not take it personally.

Having worked with parents as an educator of students with severe behaviour issues, she said that parents can do everything “right” and children will still make mistakes. Mistakes are a natural part of life and critical to learning, growing, and becoming independent. Missteps and failures allow kids to gain valuable insight, develop critical thinking skills, and acquire essential traits like resilience, grit, and self-compassion.

According to Adokie: “When your child makes a mistake that disappoints or embarrasses you, berating yourself is not going to help this situation. Feeling guilty is not either. In both cases, you are taking responsibility for something that is not yours to own. If your children think you are blaming yourself for their actions or making excuses for them, that is giving them the wrong message.

“Taking time to communicate your expectations, your belief in their capability, and making a plan for moving forward is a far better way to spend your time and energy.”

Adokie stressed that it may be helpful to keep in mind that when parents take on their children’s mistakes, this becomes a detriment to their children when they get into the real world and do not know how to handle failure or take responsibility for their poor choices.

She added: “By communicating that mistakes are part of life, you also dismiss the notion that perfection is needed in life’s journey, which is also very damaging to personal growth, happiness and wellbeing. We never want our kids to believe they are failures when they experience failure.

“Commending them for owning a mistake and getting back up to try again is extremely beneficial. Sharing mistakes from your own life and how you handled them helps kids perceive you as a trusted source of support when things go wrong.”

Owning your own mistakes and apologising for them provides a powerful example for young people to follow.

She added that, above all, these are the three mistake reminders to keep in the forefront when kids make mistakes:

• How I collect myself and move forward in courage and love after making a misstep shows kids how to move forward in courage and love when they make a misstep.

• We are not the sum of our mistakes; we are not a collection of our failings; we are human and sometimes we just need a moment and every moment is a chance to start anew.

• Mistakes mean we are learning, growing, taking risks, and showing up. The day we stop making mistakes is the day we stop living. Let us live bravely, boldly, flawed, and full of hope.

By Ijeoma Thomas-Odia for Guardian

In self development June 6, 2019 By Esther Ijewere

OLACHI OLATUNJI: CHOOSE HONESTY OVER HEROISM

#Part 3

When you look at your kid or your ward or someone younger that you ae somehow responsible for, you want them to look at you are be proud. You always want them to be able to see in you the perfect example. Ask any parent – what drives you? You’d hear stuff like, “I want to give my kids a good example, I want them to look up to me, I want to show them that they can achieve anything they set their minds to” and who wouldn’t want to do or be all these things?

But parents, you need to take some pressure off yourself too. Even Superman needs a little Clark Kent time once in a while – we like to think we can do and be everything for our kids’ but the truth is – we can’t. Guess what? the kids don’t expect us to either.

I remember growing up, my mum was everything rolled into one and some days I just wanted her to rest. I saw what it was doing to her attempting all questions with 5 children every single day. Not easy.

I would understand if she could not be there for me at a time because she just needed to do HER but she never let up and many of you might never let up either. Maybe it’s how we were made – who knows?

Here’s what I want you to take from this –

Every parent wants to be their childs’ hero, they want to be the one their kids look up to but trust me when I tell you it’s better to just be honest with them. Tell the truth, they will understand.

Sometimes as parents we have to make tough decisions – sometimes we need to live away from our families for work or school or whatever. It sucks but telling them the truth helps them understand instead of just cope.

So, you can’t make the school game this week. Say, “Baby, I can’t make your school game on Friday ok – I am really sorry and I promise I’ll try to be at your next one – I’ll get your teacher to record it for me and we’ll watch it together at home, ok?”

That is so much better than promising them you’ll show up when you know – you really won’t be there.

Everyone loves a hero, but no one loves a liar and if you can’t be a hero, at least be honest.

You will disappoint them more by your lies rather than your truths. The truth you tell might hurt for the moment but the pain of lies can last a lifetime.

I was talking with a friend one time who said when he was 5, his parents dropped him off at boarding school and said they’d be right back. The next time he saw them was 3 months later at the end of the school term. I cannot even begin to imagine what that must have felt like. He cried every day for days until it became clear that neither mum nor dad was turning up and so at age 5, he was forced to become a man.

You might say – his parents probably just didn’t know how to explain it to a 5-year old and I think that too but did not-explaining make it easier on the child or on the parents?

Please stop trying to have it all figured out, stop trying to be so strong for them –Tell your kids the truth. Tell them in a way they can understand – they will and will love you for it too. You will demonstrate to them that honesty does not always feel good, but when the choice is presented – you should choose honesty over heroism, always.

You know one of the things I love most about being a parent – it’s that I get to hold right now in my hands what could be a crucial part of shaping a future generation and even if I cannot change the world myself – the idea that I can raise someone who CAN is hands down THE most amazing and terrifying part of being a parent. For me!

We don’t know everything, but we know some things. Let’s do the best we can with the best we know.

Think about how you’re going to choose honesty with your kids even if what you have to tell them is really difficult.

The End.

About Olachi Olatunji

Hey, my name is Olachi and I like to refer to myself as a ‘thinking enthusiast.’

I love a few things, number one of them being learning and number two would be spreading.

I believe in the power of right thinking to transform lives and as a result; I enjoy spreading knowledge, inspiring thinking and encouraging movement.

I however am not a very serious person so please don’t expect to find me in a suit… In a crowd with beating music though, find me somewhere in the middle – moving to the beat and filling my soul with joy.

Olachi Olatunji

Chief Curator,

THEKNOWLEDGEOFHOW Blog.

#TKOH