Malala’s mom is learning to read and write

Some heartwarming news to start your week: Malala Yousafzai’s mom is going back to school — and Malala totally nags her to do her homework.

Last Friday was the first time Malala’s mother, Toorpekai, spoke publicly in the three years since Malala’s attack. Using an interpreter, she told the crowd at the Women in the World summit that she left school when she was young because she was the only girl in the classroom.

Now, she is back in the classroom learning to read and write. And as if that wasn’t a big enough undertaking, she’s learning English too.

“I love it very much,” her mother shared. “I enjoy reading and writing and learning, but when I come home and they have given me homework I put my bag in the corner — I say ‘I can’t be bothered.’ But then Malala comes home and says, ‘Where is your bag, have you done your homework?’ and I want to say ‘Oh it’s a bit hard!’”

She also revealed that she didn’t know at first that her daughter had been shot — she thought Malala had had an accident. When she did find out, “it was heartbreaking,” she described. “It was the most difficult, terrible thing and I just couldn’t imagine what had happened to her.”

Yet even in these words, her mom proves her selflessness, for even in the midst of her family’s tragedy she felt “upset for the mothers of the men who did it… mothers whose sons attacked a child.”

This is the first we’ve heard from Malala’s mom, but it won’t be the last. A documentary about her family’s life in the UK is being released soon, including Malala’s own reflections on feeling estranged in her UK school, and how her family has helped her through the transition.

Her mother’s speech marked the third anniversary of Malala’s attack, and it’s remarkable to see how far she’s come since then. From winning a Nobel Peace Prize to writing a book to just finishing high school, her parents have supported her every step of the way. And as this proves, she supports them right back — even if that means making her mom do her homework.

(Image via Twitter)