BC Parent Profile – A fun interview with Carlie Parkinson

We are excited to include a new series called “BC Parent Profile”. Each week we will be profiling a local parent and asking 4-5 questions about them. This is a great way to get to know our community and for you to get to know yours.

The first week is me, Executive Editor of BC Parent Magazine, Carlie Parkinson. And so it begins…

Hometown: I’m from North Vancouver, and similar to many from North Van, I’m back home again after living in Victoria, London, England, and Toronto.

Describe your family: We are a family of 4 humans and one fur-baby. Tom and I got our fur-baby, Zorro almost 15years ago, Oliver is almost 10 and Amelia is 6.

What do you love the most about being a parent? The best part about being a parent is seeing these amazing humans grow every day. Their personalities are so distinct and I can’t wait to see what they do in the future. They are capable of so much, it’s exciting to see.

How did you choose the names for your children? We were inspired by the movie Oliver Twist for Oliver’s name. We were watching it when I was pregnant and thought that’s a good name. Apparently, many others felt the same way as Oliver has been in the Top 5 names ever since. As for Amelia, Tom won’t admit it, but I’m pretty sure it was because of “Amelia Pond” a character in Dr. Who.

What is your favourite go-to dinner recipe when you are short on time? We jumped on the Instant Pot bandwagon and one of my favourite, quick, recipes is Peanut Chicken. It’s tasty and can be made with fresh or frozen chicken breasts and is super easy.

What is something about you we would find surprising? BC Parent Magazine was started by Aunt Forrest Phillips, almost 30 years ago. She was a photographer and felt it would be a good way to showcase her work. She built the magazine into a household name with a brand that’s well recognized. I took over the business while I was on Maternity leave with my daughter. It all began with a conversation at Christmas about how I had not enjoyed being an employee in the year leading up to Amelia’s birth and how I am better suited to be self-employed. A few weeks later, she had a lightbulb moment and decided that I was the best person to carry on with BC Parent Magazine. She was right, it is a great fit and I love sharing facts and funnies about parenting. Many other stories are born out of personal experience and when I learn something new, I feel that it’s probably something our readers would also like to know.

What is your go-to family friendly Lower Mainland activity? My family and I are very fortunate to live in Deep Cove. We enjoy just going for a walk to the village for a treat from Honey’s or Cafe Orso. If it’s a sunny Summer day, we’re usually at Myrtle Park or at the Beach. Living here is very BC and we love it.

So that’s a little bit more about me. We’ll be publishing our BC Parent Profiles every Tuesday. If you or someone you know should be included in our profiles, reach out to us at info@bcparent.ca We would love to hear from you and them!