Jo-Anne will be talking with us at our Toronto Choice Mom Networking Event on June 4. In the meantime, I wanted to introduce her to our community of devoted Moms and Moms-to-be, with her words as we head into Mother's Day weekend:

"As I sit here now, almost a quarter of a century beyond my kidless twenties, I have but one regret: that I wasn't who I am now in those early years of motherhood.

• I wish I could have had the ability to bite my tongue before yelling and making my children cry...
• I wish I had learned to be more present with them instead of being distracted by the stress and worries in my life...
• I wish I had dismounted my high horse sooner, realizing that I didn't always know better or more than them...(and still don't!)
• And most of all, I wish I could have known how to love them unconditionally from the get go (I thought I was :( )

The experience of being a mom was everything I thought it would be and more -- although the more came a little later in my childrearing days. I'm not perfect...none of us are!

We all do the best we can and I know that because of the stages my children have gone through -- from temper tantrums to piercings and everything in between -- I've grown up and changed too...and that's a good thing!!

My kids are both adults now and my traditional parenting role is pretty much over. I’ve done my job! At 18 and 19, I trust that my now young adult children know right from wrong, kindness from not, and have a vision for their lives that is all their own!

Of course I’ll be their mom forever, but I’m looking forward to this next chapter of their lives and mine, with no apron strings attached! Wishing you all a wonderful Mother's Day!"

If you have a question about parenting your child that you'd like me to ask Jo-Anne at the event -- which will be reported back on this website in the form of our Toronto e-guide -- post it in the Comments field below.

--Mikki