Our Story

It’s your typical mother-daughter story. Daughter wants to act. Mom says “No!” Daughter goes boohoo. It’s also sometimes referred to as the “Mom tries to redirect her daughter’s interest” type of story. Well, that’s the origin of 3GB.

My daughter Zaharah has been interested in acting since she started walking. Like most moms, after seeing all of the crazy Hollywood stories about child stars gone bad, I wanted to discourage those aspirations. When a little bird in the form of a second grade teacher suggested Zaharah write her own plays, I had an “aha” moment. Zaharah began to write stories and has grown extremely fond of this hobby. She even started her own website and later published a book.

Aunt Sue, a.k.a. Dr. Sue, said “No way! I can’t believe that my niece published a book before I did. Anyway, she gets all of her writing talent from me.” Yes, Dr. Sue is not too modest, or as we Trinidadians (Trinis) would say, “That gal have brass face!”

During Spring 2010 I started writing blogs with Meredith Communications. By December, I came up with a fantastic idea. Why not combine Zaharah’s, Sue’s, and my love of writing under one umbrella? Think about it! How unique would it be to have shared weekly topics from three distinct perspectives: the stay-at-home mom (me), the medical professional (Dr. Sue), and the tween/teen (Zaharah). That’s how we got here.

Now here is the twist! Once in a while, tests, a bad cold, a much needed vacation, or just a “I need a break!” feeling could temporarily sideline one of our 3GB bloggers/columnists. We have come up with the perfect solution. You! Yes, you. We will hold a writing contest yearly for a guest blogger/columnist spot. Three lucky readers (a stay-at-home mom, a medical professional, and a tween/teen) will have the opportunity to join our team. We’re always excited to get a new perspective. Keep an eye out for our yearly contest. In the interim, start you own discussion group. And please read more about our individual stories below.

About 3GB Columnists/Bloggers

	Lisa Franklyn-Zaidi is married to her best friend from high school and college, Azeem Zaidi, and is the mother of three lovely children-- Zaharah, age 11, Arshad, age 10, and Arman, age 7. Lisa lives in a small community in Central New Jersey, where she is a stay-at-home mom or a "mean mummy," as her children refer to her whenever they have tests to study for or projects to complete. Lisa attended Columbia University and pursued a career as a financial analyst before she embarked on her current career as a full time mom of three...READ MORE
Lisa Franklyn-Zaidi
	Dr. Franklyn is a board certified internist who did her undergraduate studies at Columbia University and from there went on and obtained her medical degree at Howard University in Washington, D.C. After medical school she returned to New York where she completed her residency training at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital Center where she also served as a Chief Resident...READ MORE
Sue Franklyn
	Zaharah Zaidi is a young, talented eleven year old girl. She is a 6th Grade honor student in the Central New Jersey public school system. Zaharah sees school as an opportunity to learn and make new friends. Her parents are Lisa Franklyn-Zaidi and Azeem Zaidi. She is the oldest and only girl out of three children, something that Zaharah finds to be both challenging and problematic at time....READ MORE
Zaharah Zaidi