09/02/2025
Most of us have been there. Keep holding those babies tight and focus on what you CAN give them, know you're doing your best, and that it's OK to ask for help when you need it. It takes a village.
I’m standing in aisle seven, four little kids in tow, counting quarters in my palm and mentally adding up what’s in my cart. My youngest is tugging at my shirt, pointing to the colourful cereal boxes. “Can we get this one? Please?” My heart breaks a little more with each of my kids hopeful requests.
When I was a very young mother with four children and no money, walking into a grocery store was one of the hardest things I had to do. My children were like all kids, hopeful, asking for treats and small things that were far out of our reach. We could barely afford the necessities. Macaroni casseroles made with a can of tomatoes were a staple, sometimes with tuna if we had it.
The truth is, I was upset at them for asking. Not because they did anything wrong. They hadn’t. But because they wanted the very things I wanted for them but couldn’t afford to give. Every “no” I had to say felt like a failure.
I carried that frustration and guilt of not being able to provide, and I let that weight spill over onto them. I thought if they’d just stop asking, it would be easier for them and make me feel less guilty. It’s hard to admit, but I was unprepared, both emotionally and financially. Those moments left a mark.
Today, I’m an ambassador for Second Harvest and donate to food banks because I understand the need deeply and personally. That change didn’t happen overnight. It came from realizing that my shame could become someone else’s hope.
When I shop now, I see myself in parents standing in grocery aisles with tired kids and tired eyes. I notice the way they study their carts, the careful calculation in their movements, the quiet “not today, baby” repeated like a prayer. I recognize the weight they’re carrying because I carried it too.
Food is very expensive. Life is hard for struggling parents. And it can all make you feel like you’re not enough. But I know that love matters more than the extras in the cart. Kids don’t measure us by what we can’t give them. They remember that we were there, that we kept going, that they were loved.
If you’re in that difficult place now, take a breath and know that you’re doing more than you think. You are enough, even when that cart feels empty.
And for those of us who can, please show compassion and donate to Second Harvest and food banks. Offer kindness and understanding. Remember that behind every tired parent is someone carrying more than their share, and the kids they love.
❤️🇨🇦
