Erin Chrusch

I'm a Mom of two, working for the Mayor of Calgary, one of Canada's largest cities. I'm a recovering lawyer. I like to write about politics, pop culture, and being a working mom. 

What We Must Learn From Steubenville

It’s very early in the morning. Mia had an unfortunate nap late yesterday afternoon that resulted in a later-than-usual bedtime and so she is awake now, at 4 am. “It’s wakey-time?” she asks me hopefully, after urgently calling me to her room.“Not yet sweetie.”“But I hungry.”...more

Why I Will Let My Children Fail

To be clear: I don't want my kids to fail. I don't know a parent who does. But if they neglect to study for an exam or have to cram to complete a paper, I am not going to swoop in and save them. At some point they need to be responsible for their own success, and that also means being responsible for their failures. Tied to this is teaching them that getting a failing grade does not mean that they are themselves "a failure."...more
I always wondered why my mum and dad never help me or any of my brothers in any school work or ...more

I Wish I Would Have Known

I recently marked ten years since my university convocation (or in simpler terms, my graduation from law school). It seems like yesterday and a lifetime ago all at once. This time of year always brings out the commencement addresses and valedictorian speeches - all reflections of what our time spent at these institutions of higher learning has meant, and what it will mean to us down the road. For all the generalizations, this is ultimately a personal endeavour. The only truism that applies to everyone is that it has had an effect. Period. ...more

Raising Citizens

Two days ago I took my kids on their first trip on a city bus. The "malfunction indicator" light had come on in our car and I had to take it to the dealership to find out what was up. I thought the kids would enjoy taking the bus home; it would be a bit of an adventure. It had been raining earlier in the day and the kids were up early and nap-less, so it could have been all kinds of wrong, but everything worked out fine and the kids thought it was pretty fun. ...more
We've done all these things, except that we brought our children to meet with our Rep. about an ...more

For This I Am Grateful

On those days when I need to get my son to preschool,  I leave work around 11:30am so that I can get him there on time. Yesterday was a preschool day, and as I was driving along the radio traffic report tole me that there had been an accident on a major roadway near my route. I could tell as I approached the underpass to this roadway that traffic was barely moving. I said a silent prayer that traffic along the road I was on was moving okay and didn't think much about it for the rest of the day....more

Kid, You'll Move Mountains

One of our favorite things about living in Calgary is how close we are to the Rocky Mountains. This past weekend, we decided to hike up to Grassi Lakes, just southwest of Canmore, AB on the western edge of the Rockies....more
 @ErinChrusch I think both places have their pros and cons ;) But I still dream of being closer ...more