Airdronian Suzanne MacAusland’s mom was not one to don a lot of rouge or powder her nose often; but when MacAusland’s mom was going out with her friends, she would always make sure to put on some lipstick. 

“She would let me and my sister put on lipstick on those days as well. That was something really special that we all got to do together,” she said. 

Today MacAusland is a mother herself to two of her own kids, as well as a mother to quite a few other kids as she runs a day home in the city. As Mother’s Day approaches, she reflected on what the means to her. 

“It is bittersweet for me. I had a miscarriage between my [other two] children. That baby was due on Mother's Day that year. She was due May 14, which was Mother's Day that year,” MacAusland said. “Every year on [Mother’s Day] I grieve the baby I lost and love the babies I have.” 

MacAusland said that one of the most important lessons she learnt as a mom is that putting oneself first may be hard, but it is essential. 

“I've only just recently learned to put myself first; not my children or my day home. That is an important lesson for all the mothers out there. It has changed my mothering tenfold.” 

She admitted that when she first became a mother, she did lose herself and her identity, becoming isolated and anxious. MacAusland has just moved to Airdrie and had no friends or support system when her son was born. Her husband worked away from home and then she had a miscarriage. 

“That was a bigger blow and then when I quickly got pregnant with my rainbow my daughter; so it was so quick: baby, miscarriage, baby. My entire life was being a mom,” she said. “I didn't really notice anything until I recognized that my then [toddler] son was exhibiting anxiety symptoms, which he'd just been mirroring my anxiety symptoms.“ 

That was when MacAusland realized that in order to be a good mom, she needed to be healthy both physically and emotionally. 

“I'm at my best when I'm calm. I think a good mom is calm and patient. Ahe is full of strategies and ideas,” she said. “She thinks outside the box constantly.”  

Someone once said that no matter how old one gets, we will always need moms and mom figures in our lives.  

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