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. There, I had to be a hands-on mom: the city isn’t designed for pedestrians, and the heat is often unbearable to walk in, so I drove my kids everywhere. Unlike in many Western countries, students aren’t allowed to get part-time jobs. They’re completely dependent on their parents. Like my mom and dad, I ran a tight ship. Television time was limited and only allowed in the living room under parental supervision. My kids had to study for at least an hour on weekend mornings, and curfew was set at 8:30 p.m. There’s a lot of social pressure in Dubai around academics and extracurriculars, so I enrolled my kids in a

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