Mom of the Week – Tara

This week’s special mom is Tara, a pastor’s wife and stay at home mom of three – Aiden is 6, Owen is 4 and Olivia is 19 months old. She claims to be “entirely imperfect.” Aren’t we all?

Tara, thanks for visiting with us today. Can you tell us a bit more about you and your family?

Well, my husband and I have been married for 9 years and we live in a teensy tiny town in northeast Saskatchewan, Canada. I am not the best homemaker in the world (by FAR) but I am trying. I have a Bachelor’s of Religious Education which I use in a volunteer capacity at our church but I am SO thankful to be able to stay home with my kids.

I have experienced intense post partum depression with each of my children. I also had 4 miscarriages and a thyroid disorder which contributed to my depression. I finally feel like I am starting to ascend from the depths of depression- I am more able to see the light in my days.

Presently we are going through the process of my son Aiden being “assessed” and no one seems to be able to give us any specific answer as to what is going on. The latest potential diagnosis is asperger’s syndrome but they have also suggested everything from ADHD to sensory integration disorder. I am continually trying to learn how to better parent my son and how to advocate for him in his daily life. I tend to get very discouraged about my son and how difficult I find it to get him, and us, the help we need. But I DO know that God loves my son more than even I do and I don’t have to fight for him alone.

My son Owen is a great kid who often gets the short end of the stick in our family- his older brother needs a lot of our attention and his younger sister still needs a lot of our attention and since he is generally such an easy kid he sometimes doesn’t get the attention he deserves. Because of this he is a wonderfully cuddly kid. I love my Owen snuggles!

Olivia was the sweetest surprise I have ever had. After all my miscarriages and my depression I was VERY reluctant to ever have another child. When I found out I was pregnant for the 7th time I was certain I would just miscarry again. We told our church family our situation and lots of people prayed for a healthy pregnancy and God answered our prayers. I am thrilled to have a little girl. She has been wonderful for our family and she is growing up far too fast!

Did you always want to be a mom?
Yes. I am the only child of a single mother and I always wanted to have a family. But I never, even in my wildest imaginings, thought I would have 3 kids. I truly had no idea just how much children would change my life! And I must say that having SONS has been one of the biggest challenges! I really had NO idea about boys since I had no siblings and didn’t ever live with my dad… the differences between girls and boys continues to amaze me daily!

What is the most interesting thing about you?
I was raised by a hippy and we moved constantly- at least once per year. The crazy thing is that my Grandpa was a pastor and my Uncle is a pastor… which drove my mom crazy! So when I told her I was going to marry a pastor she was horrified! Don’t worry, she has adjusted very well and now she even lives with us- temporarily of course since she moves so often!

If you had to put your life motto into one sentence, what would it be?
Live for an audience of One.

How can we pray for you this week?
Pray for us as we continue to search for help for my son. He will be entering grade one in a couple weeks and I desperately want him to enjoy school and learn to function effectively in his world.