MÈRES NATURE PORTRAIT - BRIGITTE

Mother Nature, presented by The North Face is a web series created with our friends at Beauvoir and is available right here.

News from Brigitte, whom you met in the second episode of Mères nature.

Q: How many children do you have and how old are they?

A : I have two children : my daughter Maxime is 7 years old, and my son Renaud has just turned 5.

Q: Your most memorable family adventure/vacation (positive or negative) and why?

A: I start with the more negative adventure... After the birth of my first, Maxime, I was eager to get back to my activity, climbing. My boyfriend Bruno and I planned a bouldering road trip in the southern United States. On the way, we climbed in the Niagara Glens, then drove for a couple of days to Obed, Tennessee. It was May and hot in the van with no air conditioning, but we were glad to be on the road and baby Maxime, even at four months, was a good traveler. We planned to go to Little Rock City (TN), Rocktown (GA), Horse Pens 40 (AL), and Boone (NC), we were ambitious and had all the time in the world... However, on the third day in Obed, I was tempted to do some sport climbing (roped up) and during a fall from a long horizontal roof (SO BEAUTIFUL!!!), my foot got stuck in a crack and broke. I can tell you that with a baby, 20 hours away from home, this situation made us live some emotions! At the same time, it was an "eye-opener" compared to being a parent and wanting to continue our activities as before... Maybe it's okay to calm down sometimes!

A more positive adventure: When my daughter Maxime was one year old, we went to Portugal for a month. We organized our trip in simplicity: one month in the same apartment in Sintra, a small town full of castles to visit and especially... punctuated with several small bouldering sites! It was in February, out of the tourist season, and 40 minutes by train from Lisbon. We explored the boulders, the coastline, the pompous castles and their stunning gardens and ate pasteis de nata in small cafes. Despite the frequent lack of sleep, the Portuguese atmosphere combined with the climbing will remain in my memory for a long time!

Q: The moment you felt most proud of as a mother?

A: When I see my children being sensitive to others and their environment. When my son and another boy accidentally run into each other, hearing him ask, "Are you okay?" before continuing his activity. When I see my daughter marvel at every insect, mushroom or flower while hiking. When my daughter reads a story to her brother, the two of them glued together. I tell myself they are good humans.

Q: The biggest challenge you've faced as a mother?

A: I think the biggest challenge is finding your balance. I can't say it's accomplished, because balance is always something to be redetermined as the kids grow, change, and life brings us new challenges. But I look at what we've accomplished and I say to myself, "so far so good! More concretely, I would say that I am very proud that my children like to accompany us on our adventures in the wilderness: they are great campers and very cooperative.

Q: Your dream family adventure/vacation?

A: Somewhere with some climbing, beautiful scenery, and not too many tourists. I would love to go bouldering and hiking near Christ Church, New Zealand. Majorca is also a destination that interests me; beach and climbing are not bad either!

Q: Your best superpower as a mother?

A: I would say I am pretty good at keeping my cool. When something goes wrong (last minute changes, vacation cancellations, child crisis, accidents, etc.), I go into super-mom mode and navigate the situation without getting caught up in the waves of stress that come over me. I have learned to understand my children better and to let them express their emotions, positive or negative, by accompanying them instead of trying to change them. I often tell myself that if they cry more with me, it is because I offer them a safe space to be themselves. They know that my love is unconditional!

Q: What's your snack of choice for you and your kids in adventure mode?

A: I never leave without my bag of mixed nuts (at a minimum, almonds and dried cranberries). If we're going for something that requires more motivation, then I throw in some chocolate chips!

Q: Your ideal day outside?

A: It starts with a good night's sleep that gets the whole family in shape (we're in the ideal here!). Then, we go to a bouldering or hiking site as a family, maybe with other complicit families. There, we climb, we walk, and we feel welcomed in the nature. We marvel at this tree or that rock. As a bonus, at the end of the day, we swim in a lake or a river. The ideal day obviously ends with a simple meal, but which tastes so much better because we spent the day outside!

Q: The 3 things you can't live without for an outdoor adventure with your kids?

A: I never leave home without sunscreen, good clothing for the weather, and lots of food!

Q: What's your best advice for other birth mothers?

A: Try to readjust your expectations, and remember that everything comes to pass! Here are my two favorite sayings: "No expectations means relaxation" (this is from a climbing friend of mine, and it also works for successful climbing projects!) and "Everything is impermanent" (one of the three characteristics of existence according to Buddhism, and very practical when things aren't going well!)

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