Mom

Mom, Audrey Sonnet

I began my day with a lovely coffee by the window at 6:30am in the morning. The times of less daylight have certainly begun during these cold October days, but I don’t let them bring me to despair, for I have the warmth of my family to bring me light. Each Monday morning brings a kind of excitement to the life of my three children, which I never thought I would be able to say. They look forward to school with a bright smile on their faces, and sometimes they eat their breakfast so fast I think that I have no idea how to cook my eggs and waffles properly. With their cute half-stuffed faces of waffles they run out the door and I need to remind them not to forget their gloves, especially Luna. Her eczema has begun flaring up again with the lack of sun, and she needs her gloves more than ever. Robbie and Matt, on the other hand, seem to be fulfilling their roles of being the greatest big brothers ever. They always make sure they have extra gloves in their backpacks. I’ve been so happy to see how emotionally intelligent they’ve become over the years, it almost makes me tearful. I love raising my children with the values that society needs, and I truly believe that their school, Nanasuk, plays a large role in this.

Today is a special day for them. It is their school’s annual Indigenous history carnival day, where they have the opportunity to honor and participate in a lot of Inuit traditions and activities. Matt, being in the eighth grade, was nominated by his entire grade to give a poetic speech to the school about the Inuit culture. He has been working so hard on this speech and has been spending so much time with Anik, learning so much about his father’s culture. Of course, it makes my husband so proud that his son is so engaged and so passionate about learning Inuit. They’ve been practicing writing and speaking in Inuit in the evenings. I know it’s a special bonding moment with them, and I try to make it as special as I can by baking snacks for them. It, too, makes me so proud, that at such a young age, he is able to honour the family traditions from his father and his extended family. Anik was so excited for Matt this morning, I could see it in his eyes, that he was overjoyed at the man that our Matt was becoming. He gave Matt his caribou parka to wear for the assembly after their rushed but (hopefully) very delicious waffles. Anik looked him in the eyes and said “to know where you are going, you first need to know where you come from”; just as his grandmother used to say. No one really tells you just how emotional becoming a parent can make you. It’s like suddenly your heart is attached to strings and those strings are controlled by tiny humans, twisting your heart every-which-way. Somehow, though, I have a feeling that today means far more to Anik than it means to me. He is so proud that his son has the privilege to learn his culture’s language and speak about it, poetically. Anik says that we’ve created the most wonderfully blended children. His poetic nature, he said, comes from me.. And his love of all things Inuit, comes from him. I couldn’t agree more. I know Matt feels nervous for his speech but hopefully our love for him will create a protective arc around him and he will do just fine.

Robbie, on the other hand, has always been a child we never had to worry about. A risk taker at the very least, he always seems to get himself into trouble. But equal is his capacity to find his way out. He’s our lucky charm. I just certainly hope that he behaves himself well in gym class today, and avoids whipping a dodgeball like he did last week to defend a girl that he likes. The principal called Anik and I last week to have a chat about his troublesome ways. He said he can easily see how Robbie is a sweet and kind kid, but that he needs more semblance of organization when it comes to learning and behavior. Apart from their in-class life skills workshops, he has offered an after school workshop for fifth-graders about letting out excess energy in a holistic way, specifically dance. I’ve always had a feeling that Robbie is simply adventurous- it’s who he is, but, I have a feeling that dance is something he might really enjoy. Besides, if it’s breakdance, I know for certain that he will love it. Anik and I plan to pitch the idea to him over dinner tonight. Not because I think he's troublesome, but because I know he has so much energy with nowhere for it to go. Apart from that, I really can’t wait to hear about all of his adventures with the Inuit-based activities today.

After their day at school, the community is hosting a lovely Northern-lights watching activity in the community. The community center built beside the school just last year has been a fantastic place for us to go, as a family. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t most excited for this event myself. Me and Luna have been looking forward to it for a month. My Luna is the funniest, clumsiest and most artistic girl. Anik calls her our little gem. Over the past ten years, their school has gotten so many permanent teachers and I am so happy that Luna, who attends kindergarten, will have the same teachers throughout her school. She emotionally attaches very quickly. Anik and I moved here when the teachers were just becoming permanent and their teacher crisis was fading away. As an accountant myself, I had no clue their teacher crisis was terrible before until Anik, who works as an educational developer, was asked to move to Iqaluit. I was always up for an adventure, but I had no clue we would stay for this long, and find a warm community and home in such a cold place. I gave birth to our Luna here, and she truly is our light in the darkness. This activity at the community center tonight invited all the children and their families from Nunasuk to these family igloos to watch the phenomena from. There will be snacks, hot chocolate, outdoor heating and fun activities for the kids.

Iqaluit has truly become our home, with its cold snowy days and its community’s warm embrace. I never knew what Iqualut had in store for us, but Anik and I really feel as though we’ve made it to where we are supposed to be. I truly love that my husband is more connected to his Inuit roots here as well, and that the kids have a chance to visit grandpa whenever they want. What a beautiful, snowy life we’ve built together.

Written by Valerie