Jami Dakin
Age: 39 1/2
Location: Emporia
Occupation: Kindergarten teacher at Village Elementary School
Family members: Husband, Jeff; Jared, 18; twins Bryce and Breck, 15; nephew, Dylan, 15; niece, Jessica, 10
The last time my children made me laugh: They make me laugh every second of every day. They can watch a movie one time and recite the lines word for word. I laugh every time. The other night when the electricity went out, they sat out in the living room and made up a game to play. It was pitch black and all we could hear was them talking and laughing. It was an amazing feeling.
The television mom I’m most like: Clair Huxtable. She is funny, but firm. She really loves her kids. Education is a very important part of their lives. They are a very close family and laugh all of the time. Our house is always rocking with laughter!
The most fun thing about being a mom: Being involved with my kids’ lives, meeting their friends, and in turn making my own.
My favorite outdoor activity to do with my child: Swimming and boating at the lake.
The invention I wish I could create to make my life easier: A personal chauffer to haul the kids everywhere they need to go.
My proudest moment as a parent: To see my kids being kind and supportive of each other at school, home and anywhere they go makes me so proud. It is also wonderful to hear from others when they are making good choices even when I am not around.
I get my kids to eat their fruits and vegetables by: Does this include a slushy from the Kwik Shop?
My no-fail stress reliever: A full-fledged pedicure.
The kid’s snack I am most likely to be caught eating: Definitely cookies! I am a cookie monster. Even my kindergarten kids know that.
When I have 30 minutes to myself: I get my toenails painted.
The Web site I go to for parenting advice: Webmd. Someone is always sick or hurt at my house. Thank goodness one of our close personal friends is a doctor.
My best money-saving tip: Buy in bulk! If need be, buy one in every color.
I realized I turned into my mother when: It was finally OK to go to Walmart without any make-up on.
The greatest gift my mother ever gave me: Three awesome sisters! Although one is in heaven sending powerful signals of strength, the other two are strong and supportive. I don’t know how people live without sisters.
My most embarrassing parenting moment: When one of the kids threw up in a restaurant while we were on vacation. Everyone took off and left her and I standing there looking at the poor people at the table beside us. We have not eaten at a Texas Longhorn since.
The future parenting moment I fear the most: When Jared leaves for college. It is only three months away but who is counting?
The one thing as a kid I promised I’d never do as a parent: I promised I would never nag my kids about their grades. (Oops, I will apologize right now!)
The biggest challenge I’ve faced as a parent is: One of my biggest challenges has always been to know where to draw the line between friendship and parenting. It breaks my heart when my kids don’t get to do what “everyone” else gets to do or have what everyone else has, but I know as a parent I have to draw the line somewhere. I know it seems silly, but I am a softy and they know it.
If I could change places with anyone, living or dead, it would be: You know, I’m not sure I would want to change places with anyone. I really feel lucky for the happiness and health that my family has at this point in our lives. We definitely have seen some seriously rough times. It has made us all stronger, and I hope it has made my children see how important it is to love your family every minute of every day because you never know when it is your last. Sometimes we take those minutes for granted.
My ideal Mother’s Day would consist of: An ideal day for me is just a lazy day at home with nothing to do but cook out on the grill, enjoy the backyard and watch the kids get crazy on the trampoline. I love those kinds of days.
myshortsareshort (anonymous) says...
She is an absolutely oustanding educator if I've ever seen one!
May 10, 2009 at 9:54 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )