Dear Daughter

Jun 06 2024 51 ep. 520
Dear Daughter Podcast artwork

Namulanta Kombo and parents from around the world build a “handbook to life”. Sharing your parenting advice and extraordinary personal stories in letters to your daughter, the daughter of friends and relatives, your future daughters or the daughters you never had. What do you want to say to your children? What family stories will help them in their lives? What’s your best advice? Our award-winning parenting podcast is back for season three.

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 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

  Society & Culture
RSS feed Share
Copy RSS


Subscribe on Podcast Addict


Choosing to be child free

Jun 06 2024 25 mins  
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 gr

Growing up polygamous

May 30 2024 27 mins  
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 con

The little girl with trauma

May 23 2024 28 mins  
Regina had a difficult childhood. Her parents both struggled with addiction, and she developed substance abuse problems of her own. She thought she’d never know how to be a mother. But now she’s using her experiences to help other children heal – trying to be the person that she needed when she was a child.She tells Namulanta about the joy she finds in parenting her two daugh

Diagnosed by a stranger, with Ria Lina

May 16 2024 24 mins  
Comedian Ria Lina finds out she is autistic after an audience member picks up on it at one of her shows. What does being autistic mean for her? She tells Namulanta that being a woman with autism is like being a chameleon: you wear lots of different masks to suit the occasion, but sometimes all you want to do is go to a quiet dark place and crash.Ria tells Namulanta all about autism

My daughter, who I thought was my son

May 09 2024 27 mins  
Gretchen’s daughter is transgender. When she first told her parents, it came as a shock – but Gretchen wants to tell her daughter she’ll always be on her side.But she worries that the outside world might be hostile. How can she protect her daughter, while also helping her grow? Letter writer: Gretchen Namulanta Kombo is creating a "handbook to life" for her daughter with le

Blending families

May 02 2024 27 mins  
Rehman becomes a widower with three children after the sudden death of his wife. Over a year later, he remarries a woman with three children of her own. Now Rehman has three children from his previous marriage and three new stepchildren. Blending the two families together is Rehman’s dream. He wants his family to accept this new reality, but it’s not all smooth sailing. Lette

A public apology from a besotted mother

Apr 25 2024 26 mins  
Malini has a lot of regrets about her parenting - but her daughter Raji remembers things differently.Malini raised her family in a big multigenerational household in India, with relatives coming and going and little privacy for anyone. She and her mother-in-law were both strong personalities, and sometimes her daughter was caught in the crossfire.Malini writes a letter to Raji abou

It’s just hair, with Joy Kendi

Apr 18 2024 27 mins  
Joy Kendi doesn’t want her hair to define her – so she shaves her head.Joy is an influencer in Kenya who’s known for her personal style – sometimes she has tight curls, sometimes long braids or a perfect afro.But she wasn’t always so confident in her appearance. Growing up in the US, she wanted to look like the other girls around her, and didn’t know how to take care of

Moving on

Apr 11 2024 22 mins  
Mary receives a menacing message and decides to leave her home. Mary has lived in Florida ever since her university days. It’s where she fell in love, met her Taiwanese husband, and had two children. With hopes of her children growing up and going to college in Florida, Mary thinks she’ll live there for the rest of her life.But that all changes when, at 40 years old, Mary recei

The dating to-do list

Apr 04 2024 22 mins  
Wen is raised believing sex is taboo but knows she must change for her daughter’s sake. Her grandmother was ashamed to talk about it. Her mum and dad had to visit the biology section of the library to find out how to do it. Wen wants to create a safe space at home to talk more openly with her daughter.Letter writer: WenNamulanta Kombo and parents build a “handbook to life”. S