Out of the mouths of babes: ‘my mom is really fun and does great things and fun stuff with us; I love her’– Zac Siewert (10) ‘my mom is awesome and she is a pop star’ – Jaedon Siewert (8) ‘my mom is amazing and I love her’ – Zoey Siewert (6).
‘Becoming a Mom was the best thing for me, even though I was just starting my music career. My career didn’t define me and still does not. I always wanted to achieve my dreams with my family and wanted to teach my children that they can do anything they want to do’, exclaimed Canadian Pop Artist Singer/Songwriter Marika Siewert.
Marika spoke about her childhood and commented that her parents both came from poor families. Her Mom is from Trinidad and her Dad from Mauritius. They both worked very hard, her Mom a nurse was involved and supported family life and also assisted with putting her Dad through medical school, he is a Doctor. ‘My dad always told us that we should love people’ said Marika.
Siewert commented, ‘when my husband, Stacy, and I focused on being parents and not focus on money or material things we received all that we need and more. We live in a city that is very expensive, and family is usually last on the priority list; I never wanted to put my family on hold. We want to be present for our children and raise them to be upstanding citizens that will contribute positively and make a difference in the world.
We got to a point in our life when we said that if God is real he must show us He is real. I grew up going to church so it was not a strange concept for me. Society is so focused on climbing that corporate ladder and then only to find out when you reach the top that there is nothing at the top of the ladder’.
She went on to say ‘we have learnt a lot and have grown together as a family. When I was a young girl, my family moved from England to Medicine Hat, Alberta in 1992, we were the only ‘coloured’ family in this small town. I grew up with Michael Jackson and everyone around me with Tony Bennett. For a longtime I was trying to identify who I was as a person as we were clearly a visible minority. My brothers and I always wondered where we fit. In school I had to work really hard and worked on my musical talents which my Father was a great supporter of. Back in England the culture is much more diverse so we did not feel so misplaced’.
‘What I’ve learnt over the years and being a Mom, is never forget to play. Don’t be so serious that work consumes your life, but take the time to be yourself and be a Mom, enjoy the young years with your children. Playing is good for your health. The other day we were at the park and I decided to play with the kids on the swings and on the merry go round, we all had so much fun, we laughed and enjoyed the time in play together. Too often Mom’s are too proper and worry about the formalities of being a Mom and forget to just play’.
Marika further said, ‘Moms are often so consumed with work, cooking, cleaning and doing housework and forget to take care of themselves and the children’. She believes that a lot of issues in children and namely bullies come from abusive and neglected parental behavior and went on to say ‘if you celebrate your children and their successes and call them prince and princesses it instills love and care in them which transcends into their behavior as they grow older’.
‘I couldn’t do what I do without Stacy. I knew that I couldn’t marry someone that would just expect me to be a wife and a mom. Stacy has allowed me to be the Mother and the Wife I need to be. He does not look at colour, status, career; he is the guy that holds the babies and I’m the one on stage. He does not allow us to be judged. In today’s age the husband and wives need to be on the same page. When the children grow up the only people left are the Mom and Dad. You have to grow together as a couple, as parents’.
‘There are a very few ‘coloured’ artists in Canada. When I got tired of the pace, Stacy kept me going and encouraged me to carry on. Stacy is a full hands-on Dad to our children. Our children are protected and loved and that has made me a better Mom because of his actions and participation’.
‘We don’t get a manual on how to parent, how to be a mom or a dad. Stacy and I come from very different backgrounds and how we’ve been raised; mine was strict his was more tolerant. I am the middle child, Stacy is the youngest of four children’.
‘Being a mom is a thankless job and we should do more to celebrate mothers. Moms and Dads are shaping the community; we are raising world changers. Nobody else teaches our children how to be a parent one day. To be a Mom is a blessing, but some Mom’s make it a chore when it doesn’t have to be’!
‘I want my children to remember me for whom I say I am and that I achieved everything I wanted to but was still there for them. I tell my children to always be authentic and to love other people. This generation has very little love for themselves so it will be difficult for them to love others’.
Stacy Siewert was asked to comment on his family and he said, ‘I love our family, Marika does well in her music and in her family, she has a great balance in her life and career. Our children are a huge joy to me. I have always loved children and I’m so blessed to be a Dad. Family is very important to us. As a Father figure the best thing you can do is show genuine love and allow them to show genuine love. We love our family nights, we dedicate one night a week to family night that includes games and movies. Date night is also an important part of married life because if you don’t have a great relationship with your spouse then that will translate into your family life as well’.
Marika’s final words in this interview: ‘There is always somebody waiting for you on the other side of your dreams. As mothers we tend to give up our dreams. But as mothers when we understand who we are and become then we will fill the means of what we are supposed to be here on this planet’.