Mother's Day: Celebrating local moms and their love and dedication

LOGAN - A best friend, a nurse, a therapist, a role model, a maid, a chauffeur and the list goes on and on for the roles one takes as a mother. Mother's Day, which is Sunday, is a time where family and friends honor the women who dedicate their lives to their children.

There are many great moms in Hocking County and beyond including Kendra Wilson, who is getting into the routine of being a new mom of a baby boy; Amanda McMichael, who is a mom of eight; and Charlotte Johnson, who has been a mom the longest of the bunch, having three kids.

Wilson, of Corning, said she first became a mother in July of 2016 when she gave birth to her son, Bentley, who is now 10 months old. Wilson is married to Darrlyd Wilson.

McMichael, of Logan, said she first became a mother in July of 2005 and she and her husband Rick have eight kids - Jacob, 11; Charlotte, 10; Abram, nine; Adelaide, eight; Isaac, six; Tucker, four; Georgia, two; Thomas, nine months; and one deceased child.

Johnson, 91, said she first became a mother in 1953 and she and her husband, the late Rev. Paul Johnson have three adult children, who are in their 60s - Jim, Carol and Lois. Carol lives the closest to Johnson, which is outside of Carbon Hill.

"I have six grandkids and 10 great-grandchildren," Johnson noted proudly.

Each woman shared different reasons about what they liked most about being a mother.

"Seeing these little humans who I helped create, grow and develop," McMichael noted. "Their personalities are so different and each one has their own unique set of traits and quirks. Sometimes they're way more humorous than I'd expect. I love it when it catches me off guard!"

"I love to watch Bentley grow and learn new things," Wilson said.

Johnson said she is very proud of her children and family and feels blessed to have their support as she is in her later years in life.

"I am older and declining in health a little and knowing my children and family are so helpful to me is a blessing," Johnson explained.

Johnson explained that her children take her out to eat, do odds and ends around the house, mows her lawn, tends to the garden and are there to help with any task.

"My kids were good kids growing up. Like all families, especially when they are really young, there were squabbles you know. I always said that I should have had four kids. The way it was with three, it was always two against one and it wasn't always the same ones," she said with a chuckle. "If I would have had four, it could have been two and two. Maybe it wouldn't have worked out that way."

Being a mom can totally change your body and life and it's very interesting to hear what surprised these hard-working ladies about motherhood.

"Probably what has surprised me the most is the way I've changed," McMichael explained. "Before kids I was pretty stern and firm when it came to kids, I actually never saw myself with eight kids! I always thought maybe four through six kids."

McMichael, a stay-at-home mom in Logan, said since becoming a parent and especially after baby number five, she really changed her parenting philosophy.

"I tried to parent with more grace and understanding than an iron fist", she continued. "Also, I try to stay more attached to my kids by snuggling more and so on."

Not only does McMichael enjoy having a large family on purpose, she also home schools her children.

"I actually never wanted to home educate my kids. We kind of just fell into it," McMichael explained. "We started with a co-op in Columbus when our oldest was five and from there we realized that we could give our children the individual attention that they need.

"I wanted to be the primary influence in their lives, instead of giving that honor to someone else," she continued. "You don't have to know everything to be able to educate your children at home. You just have to be able to teach them how to learn. Learning never stops. That's my goal!"

For Wilson, what surprised her most about being a mom was actually the unconditional love she had for her baby boy.

"I used to think this was the most cliche answer, but now that I'm a mom I know exactly what other moms were talking about," Wilson shared. "There's no words to describe it but it's amazing the second I laid eyes on this little man. I couldn't believe all the joy and love he brought to our lives and I don't know how I ever lived without him."

Johnson said what surprised her most was when her children became teenagers.

"Helping them through their teen years was surprising," Johnson explained. "It's rough. Teenage years are hard. It's hard trying to get kids to where they need to be as an adult."

With motherhood, all three said there are some ups and downs when raising children.

For Wilson, who is a personal banker at a local bank in Logan, she struggles having to leave her son to go to work.

"I hate knowing that I'm going to miss some important first milestones," Wilson remarked. "Luckily, I have the best babysitter a mom could ask for, my mother Michele Wilson, and she loves being a stay at home grandma."

"I have eight souls that are entrusted into my care," McMichael added. "I have to guide them and mold them into Godly, productive members of society. The magnitude of that task is not lost on me."

"I don't think the challenges when I was raising my kids are anything like challenges today. Like in school, the lack of discipline, the problems with drugs and there is so much more. I really can't think of anything that was a huge problem," Johnson continued.

Johnson did share an instant where her daughter didn't like what she had to say.

"Carol was about 12 and I don't know what I said to her but she ran up the stairs and slammed her door. I looked at my husband and said, what did I say?" Johnson laughingly said. "You still have those kinds of things."

Johnson went on to explain that she and her husband communicated with their children the importance of what's appropriate to talk about in public.

"There were things we would talk about at home. We would tell the children that this was not for everybody to know. A lot of times, there were things we didn't tell our children," Johnson explained. "They were all very good about not sharing."

When it comes to advice for new moms, each loving lady had their own opinions to share to reflect their experience.

Being a new mom, Wilson had a lot to share when it comes to dealing with a baby. First, she said hang in there!

"Just when you think you can't take anymore of whatever it is, the feedings every two hours or the new scream cry, it will pass. I promise it's a phase," Wilson said with a chuckle.

Second, Wilson said cherish every moment no matter how big or small and lastly, make sure to get your child on a schedule.

"The thing that helped us the most was getting Bentley on schedule. It was not a strict one but one to help him figure out days and nights and to keep my mom and I on the same page since she was watching him during the day," Wilson added.

McMichael gave a few tidbits of advice including - let your kid climb the slide; relax and take deep breaths; and trust your gut!

"God gave us instinct for a reason, if something doesn't feel right, even if everyone else is doing it, don't do it," McMichael said.

Johnson was very quick to answer with simple advice.

"Don't sweat the small stuff! Make sure the kids know what is important and what you expect of them," Johnson commented. "Don't worry about the little stuff that doesn't matter. A good example is hairstyles. They're just trying to express themselves and I think sometimes they want to see how someone is going to react for attention. Kids were not into that when my kids were growing up."

The supermoms said they couldn't have been successful moms without advice from their own mothers.

"I would say the best advice from my mom was to cherish every second and listen to your motherly instincts," Wilson concluded.

"Nurse that baby! Drink your water. That was the advice given to me by my mother Tina Berry, who lives in Pataskala," McMichael added.

"My mom's name was Dana Budd," Johnson shared. "It's awful but I don't remember a whole lot. My mom died in 1969 and I was already married."

The Logan Daily News would like to wish all mothers a very Happy Mother's Day.