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Life Lessons Mom
Tonya McKenzie, California USA
www.sandandshores.com
From Amazing Moms: Parents of the 21st Century Copyright © 2018 Motivational Press. Reprinted with permission. By Hogan Hilling and Elise Cohen Ho.
Amazing Moms: Parents of the 21st Century is the 1st coffee table book to feature moms. It features 115 amazing moms from a variety of family dynamics and 13 countries – USA, Canada, Australia, England, Netherlands, France, Italy, China, Hungary, United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Mozambique, and Croatia. It is filled with captivating self-portraits that reveal each mom’s unique personality and joyful photos of their families. The moms bear their souls about the challenges and joys of motherhood and share a wealth of wisdom about their parenting journeys. These moms represent motherhood and femininity at its best. Amazing Moms is the companion coffee table book to DADLY Dads.
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I’m a mom of four children, Ray Todd, 16, Royce Christopher, 8, twins Roman Andrew & Tahlia Rae, 6, and wife to Ray McKenzie, Owner & Principle of Read Beach Advisors, business consultant. I’m also the owner of Sands and Shores, a public relations and advertising firm with an emphasis on content marketing.
I helped raise over $1million to open a new high-tech YMCA facility and serve as an elected Director for Oakley Chamber of Commerce. I am also a fitness connoisseur, always looking for a new physical challenge and a Southern California SeaFoodie, always looking for the next best things to post about, eat and photograph. I also enjoy volunteering my time to various charities to improve the quality of life for others.
Quote.
The energy and time that you spend complaining could be used to solve the problem and celebrate the solution.– Unknown
What I do well as a parent.
I make sure to respond to my kids, no matter what the statement, cry or request. My goal is to instill in them not to avoid life situations and how to communicate. I acknowledge and exhibit understanding that each child is independent of the others and has differing needs at times; and I promote laughter. If you can find a way to laugh at life situations and laugh at yourself, life is much more enjoyable.
What I learned from another mom.
Karen Mathis has she taught me that it’s realistic as a parent to command respect and parent well with grace without being an angry shrew. And to also stand your ground, don’t back down and look good doing it.
Lesson learned from my child.
It’s not about how I feel. It’s about how I make them. Words have weight with kids. No matter how we are feeling, we must be cautious of what we say to our kids. The wrong things can leave irreversible scars while the right words can spark amazing future results.
Successful motherhood moment.
I never stop teaching and talking to my kids even when they feel I’m nagging them. A group of my son’s friends got into some pretty serious trouble a few years back. After it all happened, he admitted to me that he thought that all of this time, I was just being a nag. Since then, he has been much more receptive of my advice and life lessons.
Mom I admire.
Trina Wallace leaves me in admiration of her career, family and social life balance. She is the wife of a top officer of California’s Law Enforcement, has coached competitive cheer, worked fulltime and, raised two college kids. Her home is a safe haven and her friendship is endless. I also admire the way she lives, loves and laughs with everyone that she encounters.
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Originally published in Amazing Moms: Parents of the 21st Century Copyright © 2018 Motivational Press. Reprinted with permission.
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Photos courtesy of the author.
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