Kids & Company Blog

Navigating the Journey

I have lived and continue to live, an incredible life for which I am truly grateful and one of my greatest gifts is my two kids. They are 21 and 19 now and away at university.

They have given me the opportunity to explore motherhood, (for which I am no expert) but they have always shown respect, patience and love during this time as we all moved through the various ages and stages as a family!   I must say my husband and I worked very hard to create a warm, safe and loving environment where the kids were encouraged from a very early age to express their feelings, opinions and to take risks knowing they could always find safety in our hugs or comforted by those caring for them.  I believe in part, this helped them build the self-confidence they have today as they develop into incredible contributing adults with empathetic hearts who will make a difference.  Environment is a huge factor during the early years.

 

 

I myself have grown as a Mom and woman and my role has changed also as I navigated the years raising them while working myself,  always looking for that work life family balance.  For me, family is everything and ensuring that we always had time together was a priority but on the flip side my contributing through the work force also shared similar importance.

I remember as a family reading the Berenstain Bears picture book Mama's New Job shortly before I started teaching preschool, my first job post kids,  chosen strictly for the flexibility as I began to navigate this new working Mom role. Working for family friendly companies and childcare centres that recognized and help to support this balance is key. It’s a cute book identifying the changes in a family with dual working parents and guaranteed to still bring a chuckle.

Well the good news is I survived the early years but honestly would give anything to snuggle up and read with them today.

 

 

 

Denise Kelly is a North Vancouver Boomer, Director of Marketing & Operations BC Kids & Co  and #4 on The Stanley Cupcakes her female hockey team. Follow Denise on twitter at @theboomervine or she can be reached at dkelly@kidsandcompany.com

Posted on: Friday January 10th, 2014

Posted by: Denise Kelly