The First Time I Left Canada Alone With My Kids

I remember the first time I left Canada to come to Belize.

Just me and my three little kids.

I was terrified.

Not the “nervous butterflies” kind of scared — but the deep, heavy, heart-in-my-throat fear.

The What am I doing? fear.

The Can I actually do this? fear.

Traveling alone is one thing.

Traveling alone with babies and toddlers?

That’s an entirely different battlefield.

But I did it.

And somehow — it went okay.

The Airport Angels

People always say most people are good, and that day I truly saw it.

Airport staff and strangers stepped in like an invisible army assigned just to moms:

• Someone chased my 4-year-old down an escalator when she bolted

• A man grabbed my luggage and carried it for me

• They brought wheelchairs so I could load the kids and bags and move through the airport without collapsing

• 
  

I wasn't alone — even when I technically was.

Landing in Belize With My Babies

When we finally arrived in Belize, the real challenge began.

I strapped the 1-year-old to my chest.

Loaded the stroller with everything we owned.

Told the older two to hold onto the stroller with their tiny hands as we made our way to the water taxi.

It was dark.

They were exhausted.

And I knew I couldn't carry them all and the bags too.

I cried — right there on the dock.

Then I wiped my face, took a deep breath, and kept going.

Because that’s what moms do.

We made it to San Pedro in one piece.

Shaky, tired, overwhelmed — but we made it.

And that was enough.

Rolling With the Punches

Since then, we’ve had flight delays, sudden plan changes, chaos, and exhaustion.

There was the time we got stuck in Dallas when our flight got canceled. We hauled kids and backpacks through a hotel at 1am, then returned to the airport at 5am for a new route: Dallas → Toronto → Victoria.

Over 24 hours of travel — airports, hotels, trains, planes, and vehicles.

At the final gate change — chaos everywhere — a woman yelled at me to “get ahold of my child,” and I broke a little.

I cried. Quietly. In the hallway.

Because sometimes motherhood is strength —

And sometimes motherhood is tears between terminals.

It Gets Easier — or Maybe We Get Stronger

Now we’ve done it so many times, it doesn’t shake us the same way.

We know the drill.

We know the chaos.

We know the curveballs travel throws at moms.

On a recent flight to Seattle, the baby cried and the woman in front of us stuffed tissues in her ears and moved seats.

Problem solved.

He only cried 30 minutes — and honestly, in mom-world, that’s a win. 😂

What Travel as a Mom Really Looks Like

Traveling alone with kids isn’t glamorous.

It’s not the dreamy magazine version of palm trees and matching outfits.

It’s:

• Sweat and tears and snacks

• Lost socks, cell phones, and cracker crumbs everywhere

• Tiny hands in yours

• Tiny bodies asleep on your lap

• Strangers becoming heroes for five minutes

• Crying quietly and pulling yourself together before your kids notice

It’s being stronger than you ever thought possible.

It’s trusting the journey more than your fear.

To Every Mom Who’s Scared to Do It..

Do it anyway.

It might be messy.

You might cry at a gate change.

You might carry three backpacks and a child while pushing a stroller packed with your entire life.

But you will survive.

And your babies will see you as the superhero you are.

One day you’ll look back and think:

I can’t believe I did that.

But I did.

And you’ll be braver for it.

Final Thoughts

Motherhood isn’t about having it all together.

It’s about moving forward even when your stroller is full, your baby is crying, and your courage is shaking.

Sometimes that’s what makes it magic.