A Mother, a Daughter, and Little Choice. A Conversation about China's One-Child Policy (独生子女政策) with Simeng Dai.

As mothers, we try to raise our children with all the resources, attention, love, and support we can muster, but sometimes forces far bigger than us make doing so impossible. 

This week, Katie speaks with Simeng Dai, a Facebook data engineer who grew up in China under its One-Child Policy.
 
In her conversation with Katie, Simeng discusses the challenges she and her mother, Aiying Huang, faced in 1990’s China. As the mother of three children, Aiying underwent a forced late-term abortion and, eventually, a mandatory sterilization. Simeng, Aiying’s second-born daughter, grew up apart from the family, feeling unwanted and unloved.

This episode is about troubled motherhood, and the systems that prevent mothers from raising their children with the resources, attention, and love that they need.
 
To learn more about Simeng Dai and Aiying Huang, check out Oh! Mama, a podcast Simeng made that is centered on an interview with Aiying. Note: The podcast is in Mandarin. You can find a translation here.

NOTE: This episode contains disturbing content describing forced abortions.

Artwork by Paula Mangin (@PaulaBallah)
Music composed and performed by Andrea Perry
Producer: Alice Hudson
Associate Producer: Sophie McNulty

Please contribute the one word that best describes your mother to the Mother Word Cloud at www.ourmothersourselves.com 

Translation:

作为母亲，我们尽我们所能提供的所有资源，注意力和爱心来抚养我们的孩子，但有时力量远大于我们所能做到的。本周，凯蒂（Katie）与Facebook数据工程师戴思孟（Simeng Dai）进行了交谈，他是根据“一个孩子的政策”在中国长大的。 在与Katie的对话中，Simeng讨论了她和母亲黄爱英在1990年代中国面临的挑战。作为三个孩子的母亲，爱英进行了强制性的后期流产，并最终进行了强制绝育。爱英的第二胎女儿西蒙（Simeng）在家庭之外长大，感到不受欢迎和被爱。这集讲述的是母亲的困境，以及防止母亲利用自己需要的资源，注意力和爱抚养孩子的系统。 要了解有关戴思孟和黄爱英的更多信息，请查看哦！妈妈，是西蒙制作的播客，重点是对艾英的采访。注意：播客为普通话。您可以在这里找到翻译。注意：此剧集包含令人不安的内容。

Our Mothers Ourselves is an interview podcast that celebrates extraordinary mothers from all walks of life. Please share the one word that best describes your mother on the Mother Word Cloud.