Ironic Mom

courtesy of Tim Reisdorf Photography

Leanne Shirtliffe is mother to five-year-old twins, William and Vivian, who provide more entertainment than Janet Jackson at the Superbowl. Depending on their crime(s), Leanne refers to her children as Thing 1 and Thing 2, Exhibit A and Exhibit B, Alpha and Omega, You and The Other One.

To escape from her kids, Leanne teaches junior high and finds that dealing with ninety-seven teenagers is often easier than being trapped in a house with her own spawn.

Leanne lived in Asia for eight years, which turned out to be a build-your-own-family adventure. She met her husband in Bahrain, and they had twins while living in Bangkok. She and her husband used to travel.

Leanne continues to mine her children for writing ideas and to save for therapy – no doubt both she and her kids will need it within the next ten years. She believes humour has saved her own life, not to mention the lives of her children.

To read more on how her parenting ideals have been shattered, check out her essay, So Much for My Kid Commandments, published in The Globe and Mail.

You can reach Leanne at IronicMom@gmail.com or follow her on Twitter at Ironic_Mom.