Issue link: https://fredparent.uberflip.com/i/112402
Susan B. Stimpson My Family is Just Like Yours by chris jones T he daughter of court reporters, Susan B. Stimpson was raised to believe that if she wanted to be president of the Unites States that she could be. ���My dad nurtured me to believe in whatever dream I had,��� she says. ���That I could be whatever I wanted if I worked hard. Her mother always worked but, according to Stimpson, never felt like she was working since she was able to adjust her schedule to make time for her and her younger sister. Growing up on Maryland���s eastern shore, Stimpson was an anomaly from the start. She���s a fierce competitor, a trait she shares with no one else in her family, who she says were ���laid back.��� ���I was always very driven. I started babysitting at age 10 and babysat through college. It had something to do with the confidence my parents instilled in me.��� Now, the wife and mother of two teens who rose from a stay-at-home mom to a conservative, yet socially concerned public servant talks about politics and family. Fredericksburg Parent: What fuels you? Susan B. Stimpson: Children are my real joy. They are my happy place. It drives a lot of what I���m doing now. What we���re doing to make our community stronger. To create that loving, confident environment I grew up in. I want that for the State.��� 12 Fredericksburg Parent and Family ��� March 2013 FP: What���s your home life like now that you���re running for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia? SBS: With a statewide campaign, it���s busy. I make sure the kids have what they need and that we���re not abandoning their needs. My husband and I adjust our schedule to accommodate piano, guitar, boy scouts ��� the normal family schedule. When you add the statewide campaign, it becomes a family event. FP: How did you go from stay-at-home mom to public servant? SBS: I had been involved in the GOP in every community we���ve lived in ��� Florida, California and now here. I came to my first Stafford Republican Party meeting in January of 2007 and by May I was chairperson. It was fun and I enjoyed it. In November of 2009, I won election in Falmouth District. FP: How does elevating to a statewide campaign change the dynamic of your family? SBS: My husband is incredibly supportive and doing everything to help me on [the campaign]. My kids are shy and would prefer mom not doing it, but the whole family is invested in it and we���re operating as a team. My kids are getting better about helping with laundry and with dinner and with overall attitude. They are really part of the team.