hockey-mom When I was pregnant with my first child I was terrified. Once I got over the shock and the excitement began to settle in, I knew I wanted to find out the sex of my new baby. As much as I had hopes and dreams of tutus and ribbons (as many women do), I knew inside that I was going to be blessed with a boy. After all signs pointed to a healthy baby, this was of course confirmed. Okay, I thought, so it won’t be pretty in pink. Maybe next time.

I bat my eyelids and suddenly my daughter turned 7 months old. The rate at which time is marching is really quite mind-boggling, and when people tell me, “enjoy, it goes so fast”, they weren’t kidding! As I despondently packed up all her 3-6 month summer dresses and pink frills, I found myself thinking into the future… what will she be when she grows up? What will she be passionate about? How will she impact the world?

[caption id="attachment_20780" align="alignleft" width="300"]Image 1 My first on air experience raising funds for the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation at age 15.[/caption] I was 8 years old when my Uncle Jeffrey lost his battle with Cystic Fibrosis. His life was cut short at age 27 but characterized by courage, determination and impressive accomplishments including graduating from Dentistry School.

social media workshop flyerOften at my parenting workshops I will ask for a show of hands from parents who feel their kids' technical skills online have outpaced their own. I'm no longer shocked by the number of hands that go up. With them come guilty confessions from parents who need their six-year-old to turn on the Apple TV, their eight-year-olds to figure out why the printer isn't working, or the ten-year-olds who help them download and set up apps on their smartphones.

It's funny how your start to reflect on your personal experiences through the stories your children share with you.

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They come home and talk about their daily struggles in grade school, and while seemingly trivial, they are all consuming at this age.
How frustrated they felt when the math teacher did not call on them for the answer, although they "really knew it!".  How angry they were for having a recess taken away because they forgot to bring home a note.  How sad they felt when another child called them a name.

While driving my car the other day, it struck me how very frequently I am driving from one place to another.  You see, a very big role that I play in my life is that of  TAXI DRIVER.  I spend hours each day in my “mom taxi” shuttling my daughters to and from their respective activities and friend’s houses.

I didn't start off my parenting experience as a single mother.  I started things off by following a common path.  I got married, had two baby girls, and played the role of wife and mother.  I was married for close to 12 years before my husband left.  All of a sudden  I found myself carrying the new title of SINGLE MOTHER.   Quite honestly  it was never a title that I imagined having.  But there I was, a single divorced mother  with two children under the age of ten.    

My husband and I were very lucky this summer. We had the privilege of traveling to California for 9 days while our three children were at sleep away camp in the Laurentian's. So.... it was just the two of us now! The kids were off, the house was strangely quiet and my mind was racing. While I was pretty psyched about the cleanliness of my child-free house, being alone with my husband felt almost awkward. What was I going to do without the pre-occupation of my children’s every move? I missed them. A lot.

Life as a Mom is busy and hectic.  Life as a Single Mom is exponentially busy and hectic.  The lunches, carpools, schedules, laundry, social directing, and daily adventures keep Moms constantly on the go, and as a result we often forget to take time just for ourselves.  It’s hard to balance family time with time for yourself.  I know that for me, it’s always a struggle.  After all, I see myself as Mommy first and then everything else follows.