Issue link: https://fredparent.uberflip.com/i/112402
Susan B. Stimpson continued from pg 13 FP: Your children are in their pivotal high school years. What do they think? SBS: This would be during my daughter���s senior year and my family believes this is what I should be doing. It���s important that they feel invested. They know that it���s not Mom trying to be somebody, but mom trying to do something. Winning will not change who I am, though, I will still be a wife and mom first. FP: Is your family different from any other family that you represent? SBS: No. We���re just like other families trying to balance family, the challenging economy and wanting to pursue our dreams. What you see in our family is what you see in others: a husband and wife trying to work together to balance the needs of the kids. Our family is a lot like other Virginia families. 14 Fredericksburg Parent and Family ��� March 2013 I had to make a decision as a mother that some things have to go so that my kids can get what they need. I���m an avid competitive tennis player I used to go to D.C. and Richmond to play. I gave that up for my kids. You have to deliberately choose family time and put boundaries around that time. My husband has given up things he enjoys so I can do this. We can���t have it all at once. When I���m in the car with my kids, I put my phone out of sight so my kids know they have my attention. I make deliberate decisions so my children see that I value them. It���s funny because even though I put my phone away, they still think I���m on it all the time. FP: Any advice for Virginia���s youth? SBS: You need to work hard, always give your best and never take no for an answer. If you work hard, your gender doesn���t matter. I���ve been treated very fairly. Chris Jones is the editor of Fredericksburg Parent. He grew up with grandparents who lived through segregation, but taught him that equality was first gained in the mind.