In January of 2022, I celebrated 2 years of my mediation practice. That’s right! I started a mediation practice in the same year the COVID-19 pandemic swept through the world.
In celebration and a recap of the last two years, I will not speak about the progress of my practice. You can easily get that from my LinkedIn profile. Instead, I will tell you something of an enchanted story.
I was walking along the sandy banks of Lake Ontario in summer 2021, with my then, 12-year-old daughter.
She asks me: “Mum, who is your favourite Disney Princess?”
Me: “Err…I don’t really like Disney Princesses.”
She says: “Well, which princess do you think is most like you…you don’t have to like them?”
Me (a little disinterested in a conversation about princesses who really bug me): “I don’t know… maybe Princess Jasmine.” (Thinking she has the same skin tone as me!)
She says: “Ugh. No…like…I think I am most like Snow White because she likes to read a lot and so do I.”
Me (totally lost now and taking a moment to think): “I’m not sure. Why? Who do you think I am most like?”
She says: “I think you are most like the Frog Princess.”
I couldn’t think what Tiana and I had in common!
She says: “Because she never gave up on her dream. No matter how hard she had to work she just kept working and in the end, she got what she wanted. She reminds me of you.”
Me: “Aw that’s sweet.” (A most pathetic response to the most amazing comment I had received.)
In truth, I didn’t have a worthy response. Like many parents, during the pandemic, I worked tireless day and night to make sure I got my kids through homeschool, they had healthy food to eat and their mental health was okay. I knew I didn’t want to give up on my career as I had done in the past. I knew I would have to work harder – most days, into the early hours of the morning. There was never much time to stop and take stock. My husband and I were in a constant whirlwind. In all of that time, I didn’t realize that my children were watching me, juggle and balance, and sometimes trip and fall.
For a 12-year-old to be so perceptive and thoughtful with her words, meant the world. At that moment, I realized how important it was to show our children just how strong women can be. Despite the challenges, dreams can come true. Few people can see what it takes to make it work and what goes on in the background to make sure the meeting is attended, mediation takes place, and the constant marketing of the business. I count myself the luckiest woman, that it was my teenage daughter, going through the roughest time herself, that she was able to see what was around her. Hundreds of women’s careers are being affected by the pandemic because of their family responsibilities. This is not hard to see. Whilst we strive for equality we know this will take time and we still have a long way to go. But I am pretty sure I have managed to show my kids that “mummy takes 50% and daddy the other in this house.” My daughter’s words and spirit carried me through and encouraged me to keep going. My children are my biggest cheerleaders and I wouldn’t change the last two years for anything.
For all the mums and dads struggling out there, please know that your children see you, they appreciate what you do and how you get it done. Take a breath and stay healthy!
Cheers, to 2 years of GC – Clear Collaborative Mediation.
