When my husband and I were first married, I moved four provinces to the east until he finished his medical residency. A gentle woman by the name of Margaret cushioned me with maternal wisdom. Over the years, we continued our friendship through letters. So many letters, that I had boxes and boxes of her beautiful handwritten script. The Christmas of that first year, she gave me a book called, “Mother tried to tell me, and I just wouldn’t listen”.

Still, after all these years, I’m still grappling with one of the wisest thoughts. This quip stands tall in my mind now, as I parent my children: “Deal with the faults of others as gently as with your own“.

This is an excellent way to approach parenting. They say, ‘your voice becomes their inner voice’.

Yet, all this is a tall order. One that makes me feel fraught with guilt…