Meet a Gazette Mom
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Becky Smith
Age: 36, soon to be 37!
Location: Emporia — all my life
Occupation: Town Crier Bookstore manager, Main Street events coordinator and Lyon County Historical Society strategic planner
Family members: Harlan “Smitty” Smith, 40; Talia Smith, 14; Garrison Smith, 10
The most fun thing about being a mom: Sharing secrets with my kids. Talia is at an age where everything is bigger than life — school, boys, friends. We like to share what’s going on. I hope that continues throughout high school. Garrison and I are very close. We talk about everything and he still likes to hold my hand.
My favorite outdoor activity to do with my children: The kids and I take our dog, Snickers, for a walk just about every day. Snickers loves to run with the kids on their bikes and scooters, so we get a lot of exercise that way. We have two or three routes depending on our energy levels. It is a great time to catch up on everything in their world. One on one, Garrison likes to play golf with the family but during baseball season we just spend a lot of time together at the baseball fields. Talia is exactly like me. She and I curl up in the hammock and read! As we are swinging, we just enjoy each other’s company and read to our heart’s content.
The most important life lesson I want my children to learn: I have always told my kids I want them to be considerate. Being considerate for others really encompasses everything I want them to become. If they are looking out for others, then they are aware of their surroundings and offer help to those in need. They both do a great job now, but of course those teenage years are still coming.
My proudest moment as a parent: With Garrison it is watching him do well in school, play the sports he loves and always being the one to help out another kid or parent. At school he is the one the teachers rely on to help, and on the playground, I know he is the one sticking up for the underdog. He has the biggest heart I know of. Talia is really smart and has that whole career thing mapped out at only 14. She is confident and well-spoken and a great leader. I see that confidence no matter if she is interacting with her peers or adults.
The way I encourage “green” habits in my kids: They actually started the family on being green. We now recycle, which is Talia’s job to sort and take care of. Both kids have learned to shop local. And we all pitch in to help with the garden.
My favorite book to read to my children: When they were younger, it was all about Sandra Boynton. So much so that Talia refused to let little brother have her copies so the house had to have two of everything. We still have the books, and we always buy Sandra Boynton for new babies. Both kids can probably still say the “Going to Bed Book” by heart.
I hope my kids inherit: My sense of tradition and love of the Kansas prairie. I am the family traditionalist. All holidays must be the same routine and I seem to be the bearer of all the family records. I have noticed both kids taking on the traditions, also. If we decorate any different on Christmas, the kids let us know it is wrong. My kids are lucky that they have family and friends that take them to the country and let them run and learn things about our area. They really have the best of both worlds. They have things to do in town, but love to spend the weekend crawling through the woods or running up the hill through the pastures.
When I have 30 minutes to myself: I try to take time out everyday. Since I am a breast cancer survivor, I really do believe in the motto — slow down. Whether it is walking the dog or just sitting on the deck reading my book, I try to have a minute or two by myself each day. Now that both kids are older, the house is a little more under control and I can escape for those precious moments or they join me with their books.
My favorite game to play as a family is: Anything the kids want. Clue is big at our house as well as Scooby Doo Monopoly.
If I could have one super power, it would be: Healing powers. That way my kids would never be sick and I could save the world.
My most embarrassing parenting moment: Forgetting my child at preschool. Both! Seems I was destined to forget them each at least once. They have yet to let me forget it. Both now have cell phones and it has made life easier.
The future parenting moment I fear the most: Knowing no matter how bad I want to, there will be a time I can’t fix their problems.
If I could throw a temper tantrum it would be because: The laundry never ends. Just when I have everything clean, somebody comes in to change clothes.
The biggest challenge I’ve faced as a parent is: Trying to explain to my kids why I lost all my hair and that just because I was out of commission for quite a while, I wasn’t going to die.
If I had an “I’d rather be...” bumper sticker on my car, it would say: I’d rather be reading.
A summer event, trip or vacation I am most looking forward to: Heading back to Colorado this summer. We have been there quite a few times and have friends in the area, so it is nice to know where to go and where to avoid. We are such an outdoor family that the mountains are a perfect fit for us.