Motive’s Kristin Lehman on raising her son in Canada

Like so many Canadian actors, Kristin moved to the U.S. for her career. But five years ago, she realized The Great White North was the only place she wanted to raise her family. Luckily, her television show Motive is filmed in her hometown, Vancouver.

The minute I found out I was pregnant, I knew I wanted Sam to be born in Canada. It was extremely important to me that he be raised here, too. I want him to have all kinds of international experiences and get to know the world, but I love Canada and I wanted it to form who he is. We will split time between Vancouver and Toronto. They are two great places in this country.

Vancouver’s proximity to nature is the best part. When I was a new mom in Toronto, I did have some post-partum anxiety. I started to feel I needed more space. I really love Toronto, but I really love the wide open spaces in Vancouver. The landscape is so different. The geography is so different. The proximity to the ocean and the mountains is a pretty special gift.

I feel like it’s a really necessary environment to raise Sam in. I really love it, even though it’s rainy in the winter time. One day, Sam and I heard the snowfall warnings in Toronto on CBC and he said, “Mommy! I want to live there!” I said back to him, “Well one day, you probably will!”

Originally published in ParentsCanada magazine, December 2013.