Meet a Gazette Mom
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Deborah A. Huth
Age: 44
Location: Emporia
Occupation: Attorney
Family members: Husband, Bill, 44; Cassandra, 18; Ryan, 16
The thing I was most prepared for with teenagers: As 10th of 12 children and an aunt to 21 more, I have seen just about everything. I was prepared for the academics, athletics and music commitments of my kids as well as the competition, demands for attention and testing the waters that come with near adulthood.
The thing I was least prepared for with teenagers: Electronics. The constant need to be in contact via text messaging and Facebook drives me nuts. However, it does provide a simple solution for punishment when needed — just take the cell phone (especially from a girl).
The last time I made my children laugh: Last Friday on the way to the EHS football game, one of Cassandra’s friends saw a guy out the window and said she would like to get his “digits.” I exclaimed, “You want me to cut off his fingers for you?” They all laughed and for just a minute I was a cool mom.
My favorite outdoor activity to do with my child: I love to watch my kids play any sport — football, baseball and softball outdoors. The best activity is walking on the beach with the surf at your feet.
The most important life lesson I want my children to learn: To treat other people the way you want to be treated — and to take care of me when I am old.
The invention I wish I could create to make my life easier: A clock that would give me at least four more hours between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. to give me a fighting chance of getting my work done before my kids get home from practice. I hate staying late at the office when I know they are home.
My proudest moment as a parent: Although it is hard to pick one moment, for Cassandra it was being the starting pitcher at Regional softball as a freshman. For Ryan, it was his first varsity start in basketball and baseball as a freshman and in varsity football this year as a sophomore.
The way I encourage green habits in my kids: We recycle plastic, paper, glass, cans, etc. I also make sure and pass along little tidbits like how many trees it takes to produce one Sunday edition of the New York Times: The answer is 75,000; if that doesn’t make you want to recycle, nothing ever will.
My no-fail stress reliever: I grab a book and read in our huge claw-foot tub.
One of my favorite family traditions is: On Christmas Eve each year, the kids and I spend the day baking dozens of cinnamon rolls and delivering them to neighbors and friends. I only make them once a year, so they are extra-special to the kids who not only love the rolls, but also getting to play Santa.
The future parenting moment I fear the most: My children going to college, because I know that I will cry like a baby.
If I could throw a temper tantrum it would be because: I never seem to have enough time to get everything done that I need to do.
The one thing as a kid I promised I’d never do as a parent: Pressure my kids about getting good grades. I have failed epically in that resolve.
The best thing money can’t buy is: Snuggling on the couch in front of a fire, eating popcorn and watching a movie with the kids.
If I had an “I’d rather be...” bumper sticker on my car, it would say: “with my family in Hawaii.”
One way I try to foster a spirit of gratitude in my children: Now that they are older, I usually remind them how much they are going to miss things like having their laundry done, groceries purchased, meals made, etc., when they move off to college. But I also know that I am forever grateful for the gift God gave Bill and me in the children that He gave us and there is no way they will ever miss me as much as I will miss them.