National Parents & Caregivers Day Spotlight

I'm a father of two boys, both under 3 years old, and I'm also the primary caretaker for my mother who's been severely sick for several years. She lives alone and requires daily support for medicine, food, hygiene, and housework. My days consist of incredibly early wake ups (hello 4:45am) & running the kids off to daycare, then helping my Success Management team achieve amazing things during the work day. In the evening, I play with my boys, eat dinner, and struggle to get them in bed as any parent does 🙃. Finally, I visit with my mom to help with dinner, medications, and cleaning up.

Caregiving is an incredibly taxing responsibility, both mentally and physically. Difficult health decisions arrive constantly and there are a ton of difficult moments. Huge, huge shoutout to all the parents + caregivers out there who are managing both. I see you + feel you and I'm here to chat.

I have been able to witness the the endless love and dedication that Kelli has always shown for her family. Not only raising her kids (Jasmine, Jodie, Sheri, and Mikey), but now being the best GLAMMA to her grandkids as well (Phoenix, Ace, and Elianna). Leaving an incredible legacy on this world through them, never seeking recognition or asking for anything in return - even though you deserve it! Happy National Parents Day to an incredible mom that I'm proud to call a best friend.

Jodi has stepped up for me during a time of estrangement from my parents. As anyone knows, it's pretty hard to not have parents. Jodi is the biggest momma bear and takes care of not only her actual kids, but all the kids (or kids at heart) that need care and support that she finds along the way.

My husband, Clint trained for a marathon this year. Even though it is an 'Individual' sport, he has made sure to include all three of our children in the process. After going on long runs, he comes home and does a 'cool down' and runs around the block with our 6 year old. Our oldest now goes on runs in our neighborhood to try and beat his time. And our 3 year old likes to do stretching with dad when he gets home.

I am nominating my mom. She has been a huge role model for me my entire life. This year my mom fought. She fought for herself, her family, her husband, and me, her only daughter. This year my mom fought breast cancer. The treatments and surgeries, she fought it all. This is her second round of cancer through life, so we are all extra grateful for her strength.

Despite the hardships my family faced this year, my sister Carmen shone as a beacon of strength when my 1-year-old niece was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive brain tumor (ATRT). Her unwavering support and dedication have been truly remarkable. She quickly put her feelings aside and realized that she had to step up and be there for my niece 100%. She is the strongest women and Mom I know.

My mom has been through so much emotionally, mentally and physically these past few months as my dad has gone through a ton of medical problems. He underwent emergency triple bypass surgery, on a ventilator for 9 days, multiple organ failure along with a lot of other problems. My mom is so selfless that she wanted to make sure my sister and I were okay during this entire 2+ month process. She gets up at 2am to go to work, and then goes to the hospital to be with my dad! She is amazing :)

Danie is the real Wonder Woman. I'm inspired by her superpowers as a kick@$$ mom who does it all! Available at all hours for support, advice, commiserating, or being a sounding board for any number of difficult and ungoogleable issues that crop up as a parent. Sometimes we can feel very alone in this parenthood journey because we never got the handbook we all thought came with the territory :D Danie makes a nonjudgmental community for all across the interwebs. She's a true inspiration!

Corey's exceptional care for Kora over the summer has solidified their bond. As a gentle and caring dad, he serves as the foundation of her life. Kora adores him and loves being his little helper during fishing trips. Their shared experiences create cherished memories and strengthen their relationship. Corey's presence brings love and support to Kora's life, shaping her journey with warmth and guidance.

Back in February, when our daughter Emma turned 5, we took her to the park every weekend and taught her how to ride the bike without training wheels. After a few weeks, she was able to make her first solo ride and she was so excited about this new skill and announced: “I feel like I’m 20 years old or something!”. I am so glad we were able to give her this gift of independence and self accomplishment, which made her so proud and hopeful for future achievements.

My daughter Amayah recently became interested in training for body building. She has been going to the gym daily for the past year and mostly pays for it herself. There have been a few times I he helped out. Recently she reached out to a trainer to get some advice as she was not getting the results she wanted. It was going to cost her a lot of money so she passed on the opportunity. Seeing her bummed made me bummed, so I paid for the trainer for 3 months. Hopefully this can get her started.

I recently split from my wife, and I've had to learn all about shared, 50/50 custody. Its like having half of yourself gone part time. So when they are around I do whatever (within reason) that they want to do. If you havent seen the Mario movie, you must be living under a rock. We've seen it at least 100 times, and my girls are always coloring pictures for my office, racing their cars around the house. And this last weekend we even made our very own Mario Karts and raced around together.

After having two miscarriages in the past couple of years, bringing our baby boy to the world this year was a true joy! My spouse was there when no one was allowed to see me in the hospital (thanks COVID haha), would drive our baby around when he refused to sleep in the wee hours of the morning, cooked meals when the only thing I could fathom cooking was an Uber Eats order, and supported me at my most sleep-deprived. Baby David and mommy love you Angel!

I'm deeply grateful for my Parents! They ensured our upbringing was rich in diversity and education. Every summer, our home welcomed people from around the globe. Also, whenever we inquired about the meaning of something, they would explain it using more elaborate vocabulary, prompting us to search for each word's definition in the dictionary. And encouraged us to explore our queries in encyclopedias. They never simply provided answers. Thanks to their guidance, I am forever devoted to learning!

I nominate my co-worker Karla Arevalo as an exceptional caregiver. Despite a tough time when her one-year-old niece was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor (ATRT), Karla has been their unwavering support, spending countless nights at the hospital and translating complex medical information for her Spanish-speaking family. Her dedication as a caregiver has exceeded all expectations, while she remains committed to her work responsibilities, embodying love and selflessness. She is so loved!

My parents (who live overseas) have been visiting and watching my two young sons this week. My spotlight is very simple, but it has felt like such a blessing to have extra hands on deck while the kids are on summer break. They have explored rivers, parks, playgrounds, biked up and down roads, and I have never seen our kids so happy! Thanks mom and dad for helping - we truly appreciate it.

For many years, my mom has been the glue in our family. The effort and energy that she's put into being a mom, daughter, sister, partner and caregiver is *unmatched*. I'm talking about #NoDaysOff. She recently sent this photo of our grandma to our family group chat. She put on some music, cooked a fresh meal and gave my grandma a makeover. With so much of our family not local, sharing moments like these creates connectedness. Mom, you're appreciated, strong and invaluable. We love you, thank you

The chemistry between Paisley and Marissa is unmatched! They are always seen laughing together and bring a smile to everybody's face who meet them. Marissa is a wonderful mother and should absolutely be recognized.

My sister has done so much for me over the years, it is hard to just spotlight on one event. She is so selfless and puts everyone ahead of herself. She is constantly going out of her way to make sure everyone else has what they need. We started an animal rescue almost a year ago. She spends all her free time helping the helpless. She deserves all the recognition. :)