Author Archives: Dara Mathis

Dara Mathis

About Dara Mathis

Dara T. Mathis is a freelance writer and editor, the brains behind the lifestyle blog Truly Tafakari, and a lover of great homemade soups.

My Greatest Struggle as a New Mother is Resenting the Loss of My Freedom

There comes a time in every mother’s life when she feels like she’s the sh*t. Maybe it’s the first time you lay the baby down for a nap and triumphantly tip toe from the room. Or perhaps it’s preparing more than one kid for travel and arriving on time. These moments come and go. But…

Dara Mathis

About Dara Mathis

Dara T. Mathis is a freelance writer and editor, the brains behind the lifestyle blog Truly Tafakari, and a lover of great homemade soups.

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Dear Dads: Your Daughter Will Grow Up to Have Sex. Deal With It.

When I was young, my dad had a running joke that he would not let me get married until I was 30, 60, or 90. He never said that to my brother. I always laughed it off because I knew he wasn’t serious. I married before age 30, after all. But my husband asked something…

Dara Mathis

About Dara Mathis

Dara T. Mathis is a freelance writer and editor, the brains behind the lifestyle blog Truly Tafakari, and a lover of great homemade soups.

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Why My 2-Year-Old Daughter Has a Tablet

The fight against spoiled children in many Black families starts early. Most new parents I know have had a mother, aunt, or grandmother swoop in and tell them, “You let that baby cry. You’ll spoil her picking her up every time she cries!” As our children get older, the focus on not spoiling them trends…

Dara Mathis

About Dara Mathis

Dara T. Mathis is a freelance writer and editor, the brains behind the lifestyle blog Truly Tafakari, and a lover of great homemade soups.

Continue Reading

Why This Black Mom Isn’t Buying Her Daughter Elsa for Christmas

Not long ago, I was at the store gathering balloons for a graduation when two little Black girls walked up to the customer service representative. The girls asked him if the store had any more Princess Tiana costumes. The customer service rep told them whatever they had on the floor was all they had. The little girls’ faces drooped a bit, but then they went away and…

Dara Mathis

About Dara Mathis

Dara T. Mathis is a freelance writer and editor, the brains behind the lifestyle blog Truly Tafakari, and a lover of great homemade soups.

Continue Reading

When You Love Your Children, But You Need Some Space

Photo Credit: Janelle Hamrick   Few things are sweeter to a mother than the sticky kisses of her children. As mommy to my 3-year-old little brown girl, Bean, I never get tired of planting smooches on her chubby cheeks (when she allows me to). When she reciprocates with a bird-like peck, I light up. Her…

Dara Mathis

About Dara Mathis

Dara T. Mathis is a freelance writer and editor, the brains behind the lifestyle blog Truly Tafakari, and a lover of great homemade soups.

Continue Reading

It Takes a Village: Resources for Black Moms to Advocate for Healthy Childbirth

http://www.cincinnatibirthphotography.com/ When I delivered my daughter nearly four years ago, I planned on having a natural home birth. I had spent the majority of my pregnancy educating myself about the business of childbirth. I had a low-risk pregnancy and knew I wanted low-intervention childbirth for myself and my baby. But my daughter had other plans!…

Dara Mathis

About Dara Mathis

Dara T. Mathis is a freelance writer and editor, the brains behind the lifestyle blog Truly Tafakari, and a lover of great homemade soups.

Continue Reading

How I Survived Parenting Under My Parents’ Roof

The day my husband received an offer letter for his new, out-of-state job, we celebrated and waited for the word to come back with his official start date. We put our house on the market. And we waited. We expected the call for a start date any moment. But we actually ended up selling our…

Dara Mathis

About Dara Mathis

Dara T. Mathis is a freelance writer and editor, the brains behind the lifestyle blog Truly Tafakari, and a lover of great homemade soups.

Continue Reading