One day last November, my almost-10-month-old daughter, June, looked right at me and clearly said, “Mama” for the first time. By the next day, that would be the only current job title on my resumé. Yes, I got fired on maternity leave. Cue the sounds of shock and dismay, the cries of “That’s illegal!” In fact, what happened to me was completely legit, catapulting me from leisurely afternoon walks with my baby to anxiously hunting for jobs and updating my LinkedIn profile while she spent longer a

Family dinners are an important part of the happy household landscape in my mind, so we sit down to enjoy a meal together as often as possible. Well, maybe the word “enjoy” is too strong. We eat a meal together as often as possible. OK, maybe “eat” is also overselling it. How about this—sometimes we consume edible products near each other. I have two daughters. Violet is three and June is 21 months. This is my blow-by-blow account of a typical dinner with my husband, James, and them. 5:00: Get

Tammy Sutherland, mom of two, (wife of James Broadley, below) I remember the moment I realized that I could kiss my first baby girl, Violet. It was a couple of hours after she was born, when everything was finally quiet, and the thought caught me by surprise. It seemed too intimate an act to share with the wee person who still felt like a bit of a stranger. I think it was the first time I truly understood that she was mine to keep. I started with a tiny peck on her head, but as the reality o

My mother has always delighted in telling stories about what a challenging child I was. I grew up in a military family, so she was frequently tasked with solo-parenting duties while my father was travelling for work. I had a penchant for slipping from her grasp and running into men’s washrooms while we were out and about, throwing epic tantrums that involved hurtling myself around my room, and being all-around cheeky. (When she asked why my bedroom floor was covered in water, I held up my toy ke

I remember the day that my then two-year-old daughter, Violet, officially became a big sister. She toddled into my hospital room to meet her new baby sister, June, clutching a bag from the gift shop downstairs. As we’d planned, my husband, Jamie, had taken Violet to pick out a gift to welcome the newest addition to our family. She was so proud to hand over the soft toy—a stuffed watering can filled with little bunny, duck and frog rattles. Then Jamie lifted her up onto the bed, I filled my arms

When it was finally time for my husband and I to try to conceive our first child, I didn’t give a second thought to when the baby would be born. I just knew I was 34, newly married and anxious about whether we’d have trouble conceiving. And that is how I ended up with a December baby. December is not an ideal time to have a child. Winter birthday parties are challenging, the holiday season is busy, and showering a child with endless presents in one month leads to unrealistic expectations. But t

There came a time when this megacity suddenly seemed too small to me. Too comfortable. I needed to get away for an adventure in a place where I wouldn't run into a familiar face around every corner. Which is how I ended up on a cruise ship wearing a sequined gown while singing the hits of yesterday and today accompanied by someone on the FBI's 10-most- wanted list. I've learned to be careful what I wish for.Initially, the idea of cruise ship employment sounded glamorous: exotic ports, free room