Interview with Melanie Notkin - Best-selling author of 'Savvy Auntie' and her latest book 'Otherhood'

Reflecting on Mother's Day, which is celebrated on the first day of spring here in Lebanon, I couldn't help but think about all those mothering women out there - mothering women who have not necessarily given birth, but nonetheless exude an innate loving nature for the children in their lives. I personally know of such extraordinary women and I wanted to put the spotlight on their special role in our world, on their relevance in the task of raising our little ones. As cliché as it may sound: "It takes a village to raise a child."

I became acquainted with Melanie Notkin, entrepreneur, author, speaker, marketer, and the leading voice of the nearly 50 percent of American women who are childless, by reading her editorials on The Huffington Post. I immediately recognized the absolute relevance in everything she wrote. Coining the term "Saavy Auntie" and the ever popular acronym "PANK" (Professional Aunt No Kids), she managed to reach out to the huge group of women out there that may not necessarily have children of their own, but who are nevertheless "child full," not "child-less," as she puts it so eloquently. She launched her website SavvyAuntie.com  (the first online community for aunts and godmothers) in 2008 with great success.

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