Dear Daughter – Details, episodes & analysis

Yvonne was on a bus on a trip to Europe when she had a realisation. There’s more to life than having kids, she thought – I could travel the world. She made that decision at twenty, and now she’s 64 she’s never doubted her choice. She tells Namulanta about her relief at missing out on some of the challenges of parenting, why things are harder now her friends are having grandchildren, and how she’d advise other people who are wondering whether to have kids or not. Letter writer: Yvonne If you are a mum or mom, dad or papa, grandparent, uncle, aunt, daughter, son or just want to write a letter, send us a WhatsApp message on +44 800 030 4404 or visit https://bbcworldservice.com/deardaughter. Get in touch and let us know what you think on social media - #DearDaughter And please leave ratings and reviews. You can read our privacy notice here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3ZFHNV8v7qgTm1zbKbkwsvR/dear-daughter-privacy-notice

Farida grew up with 19 siblings in a polygamous family in Kenya. She’s been married five times, and four of those times have been to men who have other wives.

In a letter she writes to her daughter, Farida describes some of the pros of a polygamous relationship, such as growing up with a large extended family and never feeling alone. But along with the pros there are also some cons, such as what it feels like for your husband to take another wife.

Farida tells Namulanta all about the ups and downs of being polygamous, and gives tips on how to have a happy marriage.

Letter writer: Farida

If you are a mum or mom, dad or papa, grandparent, uncle, aunt, daughter, son or just want to write a letter, send us a Whatsapp message on +44 800 030 4404 or visit https://bbcworldservice.com/deardaughter.

Get in touch and let us know what you think on social media - #DearDaughter

And please leave ratings and reviews.

You can read our privacy notice here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3ZFHNV8v7qgTm1zbKbkwsvR/dear-daughter-privacy-notice

New mum Janine Harouni is anxious and lonely, so why do the other mums online look so happy?

She was performing stand-up comedy while 40 weeks pregnant, but now there's a whole other set of challenges. On social media, she sees pictures of pregnant models who don’t appear to gain weight. Nobody seems to talk about the gross parts or the difficult parts. She’s exhausted and full of worry. Then a surprise family DNA test changes her perspective on motherhood.

Letter writer: Janine Harouni

Namulanta Kombo and parents build a “handbook to life”. Sharing your parenting advice, personal stories, and letters to your daughters. What will you tell your children?

If you are a mum or mom, dad or papa, grandparent, uncle, aunt, daughter, son or just want to write a letter, send us a Whatsapp message on +44 800 030 4404 or visit https://bbcworldservice.com/deardaughter.

Get in touch and let us know what you think on social media - #DearDaughter

And please leave ratings and reviews.

You can read our privacy notice here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3ZFHNV8v7qgTm1zbKbkwsvR/dear-daughter-privacy-notice

(Janine Harouni image credit: Matt Stronge)

Anna fights her eating disorder, knowing she needs to be healthy if she wants to be a mum.

She spent half her life dealing with the condition, until she was finally diagnosed and treated. Now she is working on getting better, trying to appreciate the joys in life again, and regain the spark she feels she lost. She writes a letter to her future daughter about how to avoid the “perfect trap” in which she found herself.

Letter writer: Anna

Namulanta Kombo and parents build a “handbook to life”. Sharing your parenting advice, personal stories, and letters to your daughters. What will you tell your children?

If you are a mum or mom, dad or papa, grandparent, uncle, aunt, daughter, son or just want to write a letter, send us a Whatsapp message on +44 800 030 4404 or visit https://bbcworldservice.com/deardaughter.

Get in touch and let us know what you think on social media - #DearDaughter

And please leave ratings and reviews.

You can read our privacy notice here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3ZFHNV8v7qgTm1zbKbkwsvR/dear-daughter-privacy-notice

Musikari risks his life fighting corruption in Kenya, but at what cost to his family?

Namulanta’s father is a political, an anti-corruption campaigner and a successful businessman. He’s busy, so he’s not around much for his children. They miss him. They don’t understand.

Now, he comes into the studio to read Namulanta a letter about family values, the importance of friendship - and how he’s making up for lost time with his grandchildren.

Letter writer: Musikari Kombo

Namulanta Kombo and parents build a “handbook to life”. Sharing your parenting advice, personal stories, and letters to your daughters. What will you tell your children?

If you are a mum or mom, dad or papa, grandparent, uncle, aunt, daughter, son or just want to write a letter, send us a Whatsapp message on +44 800 030 4404 or visit https://bbcworldservice.com/deardaughter.

Get in touch and let us know what you think on social media - #DearDaughter

And please leave ratings and reviews.

You can read our privacy notice here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3ZFHNV8v7qgTm1zbKbkwsvR/dear-daughter-privacy-notice

Solene endlessly juggles work and parenthood, but something must give.

She loves her job and wants to keep her identity, but she's working just to afford childcare. She has little family support. Then a moment at the school gates makes her realise that she has her priorities wrong.

Letter writer: Solene Namulanta Kombo and parents build a “handbook to life”. Sharing your parenting advice, personal stories, and letters to your daughters. What will you tell your children?

If you are a mum or mom, dad or papa, grandparent, uncle, aunt, daughter, son or just want to write a letter, send us a Whatsapp message on +44 800 030 4404 or visit https://bbcworldservice.com/deardaughter.

Get in touch and let us know what you think on social media - #DearDaughter

And please leave ratings and reviews.

You can read our privacy notice here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3ZFHNV8v7qgTm1zbKbkwsvR/dear-daughter-privacy-notice

Nadiya Hussain, TV chef and winner of The Great British Bake Off, writes a letter to her 13-year-old daughter about how to make space for herself wherever she goes. When Nadiya was a teenager she had big ambitions – but it felt like the world around her kept trying to hold her back. She tells her daughter to keep her elbows out and not let anyone squash her dreams.

Plus, Nadiya gives Namulanta advice on raising teenagers, talks about how her relationship with her own mother changed after having children – and tells the story of the time her husband tried to boil an egg.

Letter writer: Nadiya Hussain

Namulanta Kombo and parents build a “handbook to life”. Sharing your parenting advice, personal stories, and letters to your daughters. What will you tell your children?

If you are a mum or mom, dad or papa, grandparent, uncle, aunt, daughter, son or just want to write a letter, send us a Whatsapp message on +44 800 030 4404 or visit https://bbcworldservice.com/deardaughter. Get in touch and let us know what you think on social media - #DearDaughter And please leave ratings and reviews. You can read our privacy notice here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3ZFHNV8v7qgTm1zbKbkwsvR/dear-daughter-privacy-notice

We’re back! Join us weekly from March 1 for the third season of the award-winning BBC World Service podcast Dear Daughter.

Namulanta Kombo is putting together a “handbook to life” for her daughter with letters of advice to help her navigate the world ahead, and she needs your help.

This season, Namulanta will talk to letter writers from Hong Kong to Copenhagen about everything from body image to blended families to the horrors and joys of pregnancy. Celebrity baker Nadiya Hussain gives Namulanta advice on parenting teenagers, and reveals who does the washing up in her house. Plus, Namulanta’s dad comes in to talk about missing out on much of his children’s childhoods because he was so busy with work – but making up for lost time with his grandchildren.

If you’ve got something you’d like to tell your daughter (or daughters everywhere) write them a letter, and share it with us. Funny, heartbreaking, awkward, relatable – we want to hear it all.

You can send us an email at deardaughter@bbc.co.uk, or a Whatsapp message on +44 800 030 4404 - or you can go to our website: www.bbcworldservice.com/deardaughter

Other people’s children. The mothers who leave their own families behind to care for someone else’s. This special episode, from The Documentary, is hosted by Dear Daughter’s Namulanta Kombo. She speaks to women from around the world who are in the so-called “global care chain”.

The Documentary, from the BBC World Service, is the home of original storytelling – bringing the globe to your ears.

News about season 3 of Dear Daughter will be coming here soon.

Disastrous dates and how to make a relationship last. It's our second live show in Nairobi, Kenya. We hear a tale of a truly disastrous date and find out about the tough dating scene in Nairobi. Plus, advice on how to make a relationship last, while holding on to your own identity. Letter writers: Stand-up comedian Maina Murumba and public commentator Daisy Maritim Maina. This is the final episode in season 2. Please send Namulanta your letter. Go to www.bbcworldservice.com/deardaughter and click on “Send us your letters”. #DearDaughter