For this week’s Deep Dive Series, we decided to shake things up. We had a very special mother’s day panel with two amazing moms here on Clapper: @Aerial_cristina and @Trezyure.

On this special Mom Panel, we talked to two moms about motherhood, the good, the bad, and the balance of it all. We are so humbled to have learned from these badass women who not only are incredible moms, but also talented creators on Clapper. In this Mom Panel, we got to know their experiences and learned important lessons about motherhood. From renovating a whole house, to balancing aerial silk and finding fossils, there is nothing these moms cannot do.

Keep reading this special Mom Panel to find out more about these creators’ amazing stories. Make sure to tune in every Thursday at 5pm CT on our @Clappertalks account, to listen to the bonus questions that will only be available on our live radio show: Clapper Talks.

Let’s get to know each other. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your content on Clapper.

@Trezyure: I am a single mom on Clapper. One particular thing I am doing right now is renovating my house on my own, which is cool because I get to show my son that I don’t need a husband. One thing I do have to say is that Clapper helps me accomplish a lot of things. From my account, you can expect a lot of Canadian things. I was doing a lot of things in the winter that you guys may not get to experience, like ice-fishing. There is a lot about the renovation I am doing. It’s just my life really.

@Aerial_cristina: I’m Cristina. I am a mother of a 6-year-old daughter and I have a wonderful husband of 10 years. I really just share a lot about my life on Clapper. We are very active in nature and we do a lot of fossilizing trips. I am on the other side of the hemisphere in Florida, compared to you Trezyure, I hear you talking about ice-fishing and we don’t have anything like that. We go fossilizing almost every weekend and the other half of my life is doing aerial silks. Also, I do horseback riding, and Monday through Friday is A 9-to-5 engineering job.

Growing up, have you always wanted to become a mom? When you became a mom how did that change your life?

@Aerial_cristina: when I was young, I always said I didn’t want kids because they are always whining or leaking and getting messy. Of course, I got older and I was like: “You know, I really would like a child” and then when I married my husband I definitely wanted to have kids with him. When the time came my husband wanted one and I originally wanted two and then when we had my daughter, she was such a firecracker. I had her 6 years ago and along the way, we confirmed that she got ADHD, which is very fitting for her nickname which is Hyper Piper. It was life-changing to have her and also eye-opening to see my child compared to other children.

@Trezyure: I’ve always wanted kids. It’s just one of those things. I had a plan that by the time I was 25 I was gonna have this life, house, and family. I turned 29 and I got pregnant with my son which was great. One thing that made it better is that I had MS so it took me out of active attack and into remission. That was a lifesaving kind of thing. Having my son was amazing for my health, but unfortunately, his dad and I didn’t work out, so when he was a year old I called off a wedding. We parted ways and I began the journey of a single mom. Through all of it, it was really hard, but he is now going to turn 6 and he is the coolest kid I know.

Back in the day, women were only expected to stay at home and raise the kids. Now, women can do whatever they want, either stay at home or have a career and do both. When did you realize that you wanted to start content creation? Was it an easy transition balancing it with being a mom?

@Trezyure: That’s a loaded question. Back in the day, it was more like that when I was with my fiance. I always was very independent, but when push came to shove it was almost like an insult to his ego that I was managing all events for an entire community. I’ve always been in social media, I did Myspace and Facebook. There weren’t as many challenges until I became a mom because before it was like who cares what anyone thinks. Then, suddenly you have a little human that one day is going to probably go to see it. I found Clapper and started to be super into social media and I lost my job over it. I do face those challenges because social media is all I do now. It’s challenging, but at the same time, thank god for Clapper. I have so many people that support me every single day.

@Aerial_cristina: I started social media on Instagram over 7 years ago, just to document my aerial journey for me to see where I came from and where I am going. It was a great platform to meet other aerialists and see what they were doing. Started up a Youtube and then, TikTok where my first account got banned for dangerous acts. Fast forward a year later, created quite a following but then they were saying that TikTok was going to be deleted, so I found Clapper. Since then, Clapper has been really supportive. I have not found quite a community like Clapper. It’s more my speed and there are more ways to connect with the users.

What Is the most rewarding part of being a mom and what is the most challenging?

@Aerial_cristina: As I mentioned, Piper has ADHD. Combined with my ADHD was very challenging at first. In the beginning, it was very difficult to be patient with her and get on her level to deal with the crisis of toddlers. It was hard for me to find that patience. Being able to navigate her emotions was quite challenging. The rewarding part was being able to offer her a life that in some ways is better than what I had growing up. Being able to provide her with the things I felt that might have not been that great in my case and teaching her how to recognize her feelings. There are some things I didn’t learn until I was 30 years old and If I can teach her those things maybe life will be easier for her. Seeing her blossom and grow and giving her the opportunities is the most rewarding.

@Trezyure: One thing I will touch on is that my mom actually passed away 10 years ago, so doing this whole single mom thing without a mom is a challenge completely on its own. Another one is because I am doing it by myself. Even back home, I am shoveling snow and my son comes outside and tells me: “Mom, I wish you had a husband to do that.” Then, he comes outsides 10 minutes later and I’ve don it. It’s a challenge and a reward in the same breath because he starts by seeing him one way and I am able to prove that’s not what I need. I got a scholarship to get my pilot license and he got to see her mom learn to fly. Every time he looks at the sky he thinks is his mom flying.

What advice would you give to new moms who want to become creators on social media? 

@Trezyure: If you want to do it, just do it. Keep in mind, in my instance I was working with an ex at the time, so he didn’t want his kid up there. So, make sure that both parents are on the same wavelength when it comes to that. Other than that just do it. If you are having trouble, especially then, put that stuff out there because you never know when other people are going through the same thing you are going through. Sometimes when you’re struggling, put yourself out there and you will find that support group of people.

@Aerial_cristina: I’ve definitely found support online from people who were going through the same. It’s nice to connect with others like that. Another thing to keep in mind is that for me, I have a busy life, so creating time for social media is a lot of fun but it can be time-consuming. Keep that balance in check. Social media can be great as long as is not taking time away from your child and your family.

For our latest deep-dive on @Lil_Aries_Devil, read here.