Get Back in the Saddle

Are you preparing your child for failure? Seems like a harsh question, doesn’t it? One that you try not to think about? “Failure was used to grab your attention – was it successful? Now that I have your attention, I must switch out the word failure for learning experiences – because that is exactly what they are. Every time we fail we learn something and we will use this learning when we try again.”

These wise words come from Rebecca at Vanier Children’s Services. She teaches us ways to help our children make “failures” into “learning experiences” on page 10 of this month’s issue. And I love it – a child who learns to make the best of failures is one who grows into an adult who copes, rides the tide, adapts to change, and learns from mistakes.

As we continue to celebrate our 20th anniversary year here at The Mom & Caregiver magazine, I’m using this time to reflect over the past 20 years. As you can imagine, my time as editor and publisher of this magazine has not come without some failures and mistakes of my own. I’d like to think I’ve picked myself up, dusted myself off and got back in the saddle, using these mistakes as learning experiences as I moved forward. But truly, some mistakes are easy ones to fix and some really challenge us, even as adults!

We’re now officially into spring, and our April issue brings tips for spring cleaning. But not in the typical sense – that’s boring! Jenn talks spring cleaning your fridge in our Food For Thought column, and she’s right – I can probably get rid of the multiple bottles of hot sauce (when are those from and why did I keep them?). And Lisa talks spring cleaning yourself with fast and fresh beauty boosters that can get you out the door in no time in our Beauty and Wellness column.

Let’s make April a time to get out there, try new things, make mistakes, and learn from our failures. Whether your child’s learning to ride a two-wheeler, or you’re signing up for an adult soccer league, get out there, mess up, have fun and learn lots!

P.S. We’ve already received so many amazing photos for our 14th annual Captured Moments photo contest. It warms our heart to know that so many of you love to be a part of our magazine family. Visit our website to upload your picture and vote for your favourites by April 10th!

Sabina Manji, a lifelong Londoner, is an irrepressible entrepreneur, mother of a wonderful son, and also a committed volunteer.