We will be doing a series of #RealMomShit segments to show just how different moms can be and how it’s completely ok to not always do things by the book and instead, do what works for you. Hopefully, this helps people realize that if you ever doubt certain aspects of your parenting, you can be assured that someone else is doing or thinking the same thing and that it’s 100% AOK. A lot of subjects aren’t always talked about in the mom world and that needs to change. 

In these segments, we will ask real moms a set of questions and they will answer confidentially (unless they choose to show their name). We will switch up the questions every few weeks.

#RealMomShit – Part 1: A quick-witted stay at home mom who rolls with all the craziness of having four kids.

How many kids do you have and what are their ages?

4 kids: 6.5 yrs, 4.5 yrs, 3yrs, 9 months

Who’s the good cop and who’s the bad cop in your household?

Ooh good question. I would say that I am the day-to-day “Bad Cop”, with my husband generally being the Good-ish cop. But we are both pretty on par with equal parenting styles, so it can be a toss-up. If I drop the “I am talking to Dad about this when he gets home” it definitely instills some concern/fear, more so than if my husband said “I will be telling Mom about this!”

Describe your parenting style in 3 words

Consistent, Communicative, Involved

I’m realizing that these all sound kind of cold…I do hug them all the time and love them lots too! 

What’s the most embarrassing thing your child has done in public?

Our 3rd kid, the current toddler, lost her shit in the customs lineup at the airport when we were travelling as a family of 6 for the first time. Full on screaming, floor tantrums, snot all over her face, etc. She took this attitude onto the plane too, so it was a fun day, all ‘round.

Be honest, how many times have your babies fallen off a piece of furniture? Or, how many times have you dropped your child?

Never dropped a kid (yet…knock on wood). Only once has one fallen off furniture! Our 4th one, the baby, just recently did a slow roll/slide off the couch. I had put the 4yr old in charge of watching her on the couch but she was also watching Paw Patrol at the same time, so trusting her babysitting skills was an over reach on my part. 

What’s one thing you swore you would never do as a parent but do now? 

Hmmm. Scream at them. Like ‘hurt your throat’ scream. They do get the occasional spanking but I never swore I wouldn’t do those. More that I wouldn’t do them when blind with rage (which also hasn’t always been the case, but not too bad)

What’s the biggest lie you’ve ever told your kid?

I actually can’t think of one…maybe telling them we’ll get McDonalds but then not when they forget about it? Or some lame reasons as to why the Elf on the Shelf didn’t move the previous night to a new spot (we usually blamed one of the kids as having touched him and stealing some of his magic so he couldn’t move for 48 hrs). 

What was your favourite and least favourite thing about being pregnant?

I’m a pretty big fan of being pregnant. 

Favourite thing: being able to feel a little human happily move and grow inside me, with the ease of mind that we live in a time and in a place where health/nutrition/support/medical advancements/etc all exist. (Like, imagine being pregnant during the Great Depression!?!) Also loved that in everything else in life, from studying hard in school for years, working out hard at the gym, trying to succeed at work and with career, etc…that with being pregnant, I literally had to do ‘nothing’ and I grew an amazing little human being. Really made me appreciate my health and the ability to do so, as it’s not like that for everybody. 

Also, I super love maternity fashion and dressing cute with a baby bump (that’s lame, I know). 

Least Favourite: the first 4 months, sick as BALLS.  I can still remember those sick feelings. Ugh. 

Oh, and labour (does that still count as something to do with ‘being pregnant’?) Man, labour is the worst. Every time. I am not religious (at all!), but every time I’ve gotten my epidural, I have found Jesus. Also, missing alcohol. I still have the occasional light beer and glass of white wine when pregnant (I have done so with all of my pregnancies) but going to events and/or weddings, etc, and being dead sober, is SO boring.