"I used to be a strict parent.Then I moved to Canada."

In Dubai, I enforced rigid rules on my children. In Canada, I realized that would just push them away.

- By Aaisha Memon

MY HOMETOWN OF KARACHI, PAKISTAN, is fairly conservative. When I was growing up, my parents established a lot of rules and discipline. They didn’t let me wear tight clothes because people would stare at me. I couldn’t go out alone with friends, and I was rarely allowed to visit their homes. It was a strict household, and I knew never to question what my parents told me to do.

I got married in 2002 and, soon after, my husband’s job took us to Dubai, where we had three children.