Kristen Experienced Parent

Hi! I’m Kristen. I am the parent of 3 teenagers. My daughter is becoming an amazing young woman and my twin boys make me laugh everyday. I love being a mom but I know what it is to struggle too.  Having three teenagers can be incredibly difficult sometimes. There are definitely some days that feel all up uphill. But those days, hours, moments; they always pass. The great moments of laughter and love help us all build resilience for the tougher times. I know that parenting is not only about our successes but about the times we’re not so proud of too. I do know that talking with friends and family and other parents makes a big difference. Even though it looks different for every one, we are in it together.

Christen Experienced Parent

Hello, my name is Christen. I am the mom of two cute, sweet, kind angels–angels who also keep me on my toes! My 6-year-old girl is a thinker, with a very creative personality and my 4-year-old son has a very playful personality and is becoming a sports guy. These two different personalities and interests lead to many conflicts and arguments, I can tell you! My hubby and I agreed we would raise our kids in a modern, open minded style. Our values and faith matter to us and also influence our parenting. We are trying our best and hope it all works. As new Canadians, we were struggling with cultural differences and being so far from our families’ support and comfort. But now, we have made new friends and have become part of our new community. We enjoy and celebrate the Canadian lifestyle. I would love to chat with you about your parenting experiences, either as a newcomer to Canada or as someone who has been here a long time. We can learn from each other.

I also speak Arabic and French so you can connect with me in either of these languages as well as English.

Victoria Experienced Parent

Hi, I’m Victoria. I am a single parent of an amazingly beautiful, creative and challenging 10-year old. I adopted her when she was 4 and I thought parenting would be perfect; after all, I am an experienced Early Childhood Educator! When we started to bump into attachment issues, I quickly learned that I needed support. Also, as a parent I am facing health challenges and currently am battling cancer. Through all of this, I have had to navigate the health care system, learn how to accept help from others and connect with appropriate supports for my daughter. I have learned how hard it is to ask for help and that it really does take a village to raise a child.

Diane Experienced Parent

Hi, I’m Diane. I am the manager of all of our parenting education and support services at KW Counselling Services—and am very proud to be part of the Parenting Now Team. I have worked with, chatted with, cried with and laughed with MANY parents over the course of my career and am forever inspired and humbled by the stories I have heard. I am also a parent–of a truly amazing young woman. We have certainly had our ups and downs and, truth be told, I continue to struggle with how to parent an adult child who lives on the other side of the country! She has taught me a lot about myself and my parenting. Some of it great, some of it not so great. I have learned how to love and value her for herself and to let go of the little things that just don’t matter. Now, my daughter is a parent herself! And, quite an amazing one, I am pleased to say. I would love to talk with you about your parenting journey. What have you learned along the way?

Melodie Experienced Parent

I live in Kitchener with my husband and three sons, ages 8, 6, and 3. Life is busy, but life is very good! I’ve been a stay at home mom since our oldest child was born. The years I’ve spent at home have been full of wonderful memories and adventures with the boys. I have my Early Childhood Education diploma, so before becoming a Mom I worked at a daycare center. I’ve put that to use by providing home childcare for many families and children. Parenting (and parenting boys specifically) has come with some challenges, lots of joys and many, many opportunities for learning! Each of my children offers something unique to our family and I appreciate each and every one of them. I’ve been a parent for over years now and within that time I’ve learning a lot about parenting and a lot about myself. We have many years to go and lots to learn – I’m ready for the journey!

Nadia Experienced Parent

Hi. I am Nadia. I am a mom of 3 boys 18, 12 and 11. My oldest one is transitioning into a responsible young adult after going through a few adventurous teen years. My husband and I had to observe, learn and adapt while parenting him. My second child is an artist and an introvert by nature. His needs are quite different than his brothers. We cannot always expect him to enjoy the activities we plan for the rest of the family. The youngest one is aiming to become a basketball player and focuses all his energies around it. He is very sociable and makes friends wherever he goes. Children can be so different even when born in the same family and raised by the same parents!

As new Canadians, we still continue to learn, unlearn and adapt as well as teach our children to thrive in a new environment. I have had opportunities to speak to other parents through Parenting Now community chats. It is always great to share our stories with people who have the same struggles. I look forward to connecting with you and share our journeys.

I also speak Urdu and Panjabi.  You can connect with me using Urdu, Panjabi or English.

Teresa Experienced Parent

Hi, I’m Teresa. I am the parent of 4 adults, two of whom (our 20 and 21 year old sons) are still at home.  My daughter and son-in-law have 3 beautiful little ones, being a grandparent is amazing! Our two teenaged sons make life busy and interesting, I  really enjoy seeing them discovering what they want to do with their lives and becoming independent despite one of our son’s challenges.  Parenting is hard work especially with the added stresses of supporting our son who has special needs. I sometimes feel divided between my adult kids, grandchildren, kids still at home and aging parents.   It’s about celebrating the joys and successes and facing the challenges of reality.  Talking, laughing, and sometimes crying  with other parents who have been there is so helpful.

Maryanne Experienced Parent

Hi, my name is Maryanne. I came into parenting with a few issues from childhood, so had some very specific plans for how I was going to raise my kids. However, nothing changes our plans faster than our children! I wanted a daughter–what better way to resolve issues with my own mom by having a daughter to love. This is not how my parenting story unfolded, though. My first beautiful son came into the world with Asperger’s. I missed all the signs and was very surprised when his Kindergarten teacher asked to speak with me at the end of his first day of school. My reaction was “wait, you mean not all kids are like this?” My second child came into the world identified as a girl and transitioned to male at the age of 16. Both of my boys are now young adults and living the lives they are meant to have. I am so proud of them and I love being their mum.

I know that children are our best teachers and mine have taught me a very valuable lesson: love the child I have, not the child I expected them to be when I was planning my life. When the challenges were going on in our home, I did not have anyone who could share and understand my experiences. Sometimes, you just need to be able to talk with someone who has been there!