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Comments from a Working Mom: Sophie Grégoire Trudeau’s Request for Additional Help

School age children have a lot projects and activities

Through this blog, I write about the struggles encountered by working moms. Indeed, the raison d’etre for this blog is to help working moms discover how they can work full time and spend quality time with their spouses and children. Indeed, I am in the struggle with working moms like me and I share tales from my own journey to help, inspire, and sometimes to amuse.

Some of the tales I have shared have involved my own struggle to make it work. Every woman who is attempting to work full time, raise children and stay married understands that the journey ain’t easy, but it is worth it.  That said, I was recently accused of being misleading. A reader whose considering adopting a child and being a single mom sent me a message asking me how I was able to handle it all without support.

Being a working mom is a struggle, even when you have help.


I guess I’ve been too subtle about what it takes to make my world go ‘round. Let’s be clear, there are moms who make it work on their own, but that is not my story. I have a husband, family, and although it’s changing soon, I have had the benefit of paid in home care for the better part of five years. That said, because moms tend to take on the majority of childcare responsibilities the struggle is real.

Apparently, that struggle is real even if you are married to the prime minister of Canada. Recently, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, the wife of Prime Minister Trudeau who has three children requested additional help to support her family. I say "additional" because she already has a cook and two nannies. Her request has outraged many, but not me. I don’t walk in her shoes, but I understand.

Employing additional help can ease the struggle


I work full time and have two children. Although we have a full time nanny, I could easily use another PT nanny, PT housekeeper and PT cook and I am not exaggerating. The part time nanny could work from 6PM-9PM (M, W, F), 8AM-11AM;  8PM-12AM on Saturdays. This person wouldwould help me bathe the kids and take them to activities, pick up around the house and assist me with folding our laundry. The housekeeper would come once a week and do a deep cleaning of the kitchen, bathroom and clean the floors and dust every other week. The cook would create healthy meals that I could place in the refrigerator and throw them in the oven. That extra help would free me up to write, run, attend corporate events, enjoy more fun times with the kids, reduce my fatigue, maintain my sanity. My husband and I would have weekly date nights and I would also be able to host more family dinners. (The trash in the photo above would not be there if I had additional help either!:-))

The only reason I don’t have that help is because I can’t afford it. 

(Note to self: finish your book to generate additional revenue and make your dream come true!) I cannot imagine the help I would need if my duties involved being the moral support of an entire nation. So, if Mrs. Trudeau is able to get the requested support, more power to her. Canada should make it as easy as possible for her to perform her duties. If it is not in the budget to provide her with that support, then she should be able to decrease her appearances without consequence.  Just my two cents!


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