Can you believe lil ol me was on national TV again?? Like the first time wasn’t enough excitement already but The Goods CBC contacted me and I was invited back a second time! Someone pinch me! (actually…don’t).
I have to say, going back on TV for a second round of the parenting panel felt different this time around. I was way more comfortable being behind the scenes – getting my make up done, chatting with the other guests in the room (which by the way, included the celebrity singer, Johnny Reid, and his wife, Jennifer Reid) and feeling slightly nervous but not bad at all. Once I was on air, I was very aware of the fact that I was in a state of flow. When you’re in the company of someone as vibrant as the host, Andrea Bain, you can’t go wrong. Her humour and warmth totally put me at ease. I can totally get used to this life. And just in case you’re wondering, the first episode aired on October 17 and the second show airs on November 21.
I do not consider myself a parenting expert by any means but what came through loud and clear is that we (meaning you and I) are not looking for perfection. We’re hungry for stories that we can relate to and say “me too”. Besides, there was a parenting expert on this show sitting beside me so I could relax and just be myself-the perfectly imperfect mom that I am. The expert took over and reminded us of tips and tricks we could use as we continue to fill our roles as parents. I especially loved the ones about how to connect with our kids after school, what to do about swearing and a biggie, devices on the dinner table.
Curious? You can watch the first episode here.
In the first TV segment, we discussed mom shaming, saying “no” and setting boundaries, and SEX! (Gulp!) My take-aways from the TV experience were these:
- No one is spared of embarrassing moments
- There is no one right answer
- Being vulnerable is the way to go (when you watch the episode, you’ll understand what I mean!); and
- We can always strive to be a better parent BUT don’t let the guilt consume you
As for the second segment, I guess you’ll have to watch that one to find out BUT hint, swearing and electronic devices are a part of that discussion. Have I hit any nerves yet?
It did for me! Let me tell you.
I felt shame creeping it’s way through me as I sat there on the sofa, in front of a live audience, waiting for my turn to respond, knowing fully that I was going to have to make some open and honest confessions. Not only that! I knew that the mom next to me seemed like an amazing mom! And she has FOUR kids. What’s my excuse? Make no mistake. This TV stuff ain’t a joke… this s*@& is real!
Ahhh – I quickly recognized that I had fallen into the comparison trap-the root of all evil. Being the social media junkie that I am, I guess I have social media to thank for that as well.
BUT. Luckily, I was able to quickly bring myself back to my core because I keep this saying at the forefront:
Don’t compare your insides to other people’s outsides.
Pretty powerful stuff right?
Tape THAT on onto your bathroom wall and see if it doesn’t shift things for all you moms out there.
I always quote Brene Brown as you know by now and she says, “everyone is doing the best they can with the tools they have at that time”. I whole heartedly believe that. While this mothering journey can be a tough one (more thoughts on that here), I know that no one way is the right way. And the very nice parenting expert on the show told me so. I breathed in a sigh of relief and let go of my need to show up perfectly.
Wanna hear what my kids thought of me on TV?
After my eldest watched my first TV appearance, he said to me “well..at least you didn’t lie”! Whoa! I take that as a huge compliment! Talk about being real. I was as real as I could be. And the reason I was so open and vulnerable on national TV was because I knew in doing so, I just gave someone else permission to do the same.
When I read my son’s comments, right there and then it hit me that I am raising my boys right – modeling is the best form of education. What they do with it, is up to them but I’d like to believe that some good will come out of it.
