As a mom, you may not have qualified for the Rio Olympics, but you certainly deserve a spot on the podium in our eyes. There are no “perfect scores” in motherhood, but if you had a discipline breakthrough, managed a meltdown, or found time in your day to pursue a dream, then we want to take a moment and celebrate alongside you. Even the little “victories” add up to be big wins in the long run; so let’s champion each other.
After all, we’re on the same team.
Today we’re featuring a good friend of mine and co-worker, Sarah Ronan! Hi, Sarah! Tell us a little bit about yourself and your family.
Hi! This recent pic has two of my three kids in it! The youngest one is my niece. The other two are Emma (8) and Colin (4). Not pictured are: Eric, my husband, and Nicholas, my 18-almost-19 stepson.
Love those smiles! You guys are adorable.
Do you wear any other hats in addition to your [big, gigantic, hugely significant] Mom Hat?
Yes, I work as a part-time Database Manager at Christ’s Church in Mason, Ohio.
Yes, you do, and you are amazing at it! I can say that for sure. So tell everyone a little more about your kiddos.
Nicholas, our 18-year old, lives with us full-time. He has no current interaction with bio-mom (not since he was 14). I’ve been in his life since he was 7-almost-8. He’s not currently motivated to do anything besides tech.
Our daughter, Emma has ADHD, anxiety, and an enormous heart for people. She loves to help anyone with anything (except mom). ? She loves school, being outside, and reading. AND, she loves Jesus with her whole heart.
Our son, Colin, is a typical 4-year old. He’s a handful with the biggest, brightest blue eyes. He still wakes up in the middle of the night and climbs in our bed.
I give you so much credit that you are parenting kids with such a wide age-range (14 years between them)!
What is a recent mom win you experienced that took time and perseverance to accomplish?
It would definitely be Emma’s “play therapy” through Focus on Youth in West Chester. Gave us tons of helpful tools to help her learn to control her energy and focus, and thus she improved at school. In addition to her medication, we play games like “Red Light, Green Light” to help her learn to listen and respond quickly. We utilize things like a “worry eater” and stories like Don’t Feed the Worry Bug.
That’s sounds interesting! I want to know more about the worry eater!
Sure! When Emma starts to worry about anything, she writes it down and gives it to her worry eater instead of dwelling on it. Then my hubby and/or I sit down a couple times a week and let her pull out her worries and we talk about them and help her work through her emotions/thoughts/reasons/etc. She can choose to put it back in the worry eater to discuss again later or throw it away if it’s not a worry any longer.
She also chooses which of the worries get discussed. We don’t talk about all of them each time, just a couple. Often, she’ll open her worry eater and pull out a few, read them, and throw them away (even before we’ve talked) because they’re not a worry to her any longer. This helps her especially at bedtime when her mind is running and she’s alone in her room.
That’s really cool. I love that idea! ? There are probably a lot of moms reading this who have kids struggling with anxiety and worry.
So what is a mom win that you would text your best friend?
Emma woke up on her own, got dressed on her own, and had enough time for a real breakfast this morning before we had to scoot out the door! We’re getting glimpses of the pay-off for all the work we’ve done!
YES! High-five to you, and Emma too! ?
One more question, Sarah: What are you learning as a mom right now?
It’s tough. It sucks. It’s time-consuming to work through your child’s issues. But knowing that you’re making positive strides by seeing the “I can do it!” looks on your kid’s face — worth it ALL!
It definitely is. Thank you for being so honest and sharing with us! I love your perseverance, and I hope other moms out there will be encouraged to KEEP GOING, because those positive strides will come!
If you would like to be featured as a Gold Medal Mom or you know someone who would, please contact us here!