I Came Back for the Connection

Okay, I’m going to take you waaaaaay back.

As some of you may know, I’m a Registered Early Childhood Educator (RECE), and I’ve been in the field since graduating from Centennial College in 2010 — Progress Campus… woot woot!

And when I say I’ve always worked in the field, I mean it.

I’ve worked at the YMCA, a Montessori school in Markham, a private school in North York, and eventually made my way to a childcare centre in Oshawa licensed for 103 kiddos.

Early childhood education has always been a huge part of my life.

But it is also a busy field.

And somewhere along the way, while spending my days caring for children, supporting families and doing all the things that come with working in childcare, I started realizing something:

Moms need care, too.

Let me take you back to 2021...

I had just lost my dad to COVID in May 2021.

I was pregnant with my youngest daughter, Lilly, who is now 4, and I was carrying a lot emotionally. I knew that once this new little baby arrived, life was going to look very different.

I would have Melody, who was 6 at the time, a brand-new infant, work, a household, all of the mental load that comes with motherhood...

Oh — and apparently I was supposed to take care of myself somewhere in there too?!

What the heck? 😂

I had so many emotions built up.

And the truth is, I was struggling to figure out how to release any of it.

I was starting to notice anger coming up in me. Resentment. Emotions that I didn't really understand and definitely didn't know what to do with.

I knew I needed an outlet, so I tried to find one.

I was reading books. I was journaling. I was trying to work through everything on my own.

But it wasn't helping in the way I needed it to.

I needed something different.

Then I came across a week-long retreat at Sugar Ridge.

It was November 2021. I was due in February 2022. And something in me said, GO.

So I went.

And honestly? It took me right back to my Grade 8 camp days.

I stayed in a little cabin with just a bed, table and chairs. The main house was only steps away with the showers, bathrooms and kitchen, along with this cozy little lounge area.

And then...

There was the yoga studio.

That's where something changed.

During the retreat, we were introduced to different types of yoga, meditation and breathwork.

Before that, I had heard of yoga, obviously, but I never really thought it was something I could do.

But slowly, I fell in love with it.

When I came home from that retreat, I kept practicing. Every day.

That little spark eventually turned into me completing my 200-hour yoga teacher certification, followed by my pre- and postnatal yoga certifications.

But looking back now, I realize yoga wasn't the only thing I found during that time.

I found the beginning of my "why."

Deep down, I wanted to connect with moms.

I wanted to support moms through the everyday challenges of motherhood.

I wanted women to have an outlet — somewhere they could show up, breathe, talk, move, laugh, connect and maybe, for a little while, put some of that mental load down.

I didn't necessarily know what that was supposed to look like yet.

So I kept searching.

And then came Common Moms.

Fast-forward to early 2025.

I came across Common Moms on Instagram and connected with Jaime. Unfortunately, Durham already had a Community Director at the time.

So I kept searching for my path.

And then one day...

An email from Jaime popped up.

And, well...

The rest is history.

So, why did I come back?

This is the real reason I'm part of Common Moms Durham:

I came back for the connection.

Yes, I want to create fun experiences for babies and kiddos.

I want them to sing, get messy, explore, move, learn and make memories.

But I also want to create something for Mom.

Because moms need a safe space too.

We need spaces where we can sit beside another mom and say, "Wait...your kid does that too?!"

We need the "Oh my gosh, I'm not alone" conversations.

The "Okay, so THAT'S normal" conversations.

The conversations where you don't have to explain every little thing because the person sitting across from you just gets it.

That's what I want Common Moms Durham to be.

Not just somewhere you bring your child for an activity.

A community.

A place where your little one gets to have fun, but where you might walk away feeling a little lighter too.

My journey with Common Moms Durham has really only just begun, and I have no idea exactly where it's going to take me.

But I know why I'm here.

Connection.

And I cannot wait to share this journey with each and every one of you.

Thank you for being here.

— Candace

Common Moms Durham