Mom of the Month: May

Growing up, I was always told that a child’s behavior and character is a reflection of what the parents do or do not do in raising their children. That theory has shown itself to be true over the years. It is the very essence by which I decided to start this Mom of the Month Series. It’s even more fitting that this is the month of Mother’s Day. It is true that fathers too play an important role, but here, we are celebrating the moms. I am celebrating the many roles we play and the many hats we wear to support and love on those around us.

 

Every month I will be celebrating moms from all walks of life: single moms, stay-at-home moms, work-at-home moms and working moms doing it all.

 

I came across this young lady on facebook,  Ms. Celai West through a promotion her mom posted for support of her modeling career. She struck a cord with me so I dug a little deeper. I discovered more about her success, character, intelligence, morals and values–all of which you can sense through her photos. When I regarded those qualities and her accomplishments, I decided I wanted to meet her mother more than anything: just one of the moms out there who contributes to raising up of a child to be who they are born to be.

 

Meet Linda Ligons-West

 

Linda Ligons-West

 

1. Introduce yourself. Tell us what makes you, you.

 

My name is Linda Ligons-West and I reside in Sacramento, CA. I’m a wife, mom, sister and daughter. I have 4 children, 2 of which are away in college, and their ages are 21, 19, 14 and 8. I work from home as an independent contractor doing stock plan administration for a few companies as well as manage Celai and her business.

Of all my roles, I take parenting the most serious. However, “serious” is the exact opposite of my parenting approach. To me, parenting is all about getting the results you expect from your children WHILE HAVING FUN.

2. What does an average day look like for you?

Well, honestly, it’s a little less structured than I would like for it to be. The first thing I do in the mornings is check social media and make sure that I respond to any and all comments. I guess you could say that I’m a little OCD about this process because I honestly feel that each and every comment needs to be responded to…well, as long as I am still able to manage it (not for much longer).

Then I move on to castings to see if there are any roles I should submit Celai to before I begin the process of checking my business, personal and consulting email boxes.

Now, I am free to move on to my first love,….my cup of coffee.

 

The social media notifications and castings are pretty much endless so I repeat this process several times throughout the day, until time to pick the kids up.

During a normal week, Celai has 3 classes she takes (acting, dancing, singing) and my 14 year old daughter plays basketball, not to mention auditions and bookings.

Before I get in the bed, again, I am back on social media responding and checking for castings.

Linda Ligons-West&Celai

3. What is(are) your favorite thing(s) about being a mom?

 

My favorite thing about being a mom is having fun with my kids. We joke, talk trash, laugh and prank each other regularly, but the most rewarding thing is knowing your sole responsibility is to raise PRODUCTIVE members of our society….and you are succeeding.

 

4. What makes your relationship with your child(ren) unique?

I believe my relationships with my children are unique because I don’t just settle with raising them “right”. I believe it’s also my responsibility to help show them how to identify their God-given “gifts”, then help nurture those gifts. Each one of them has a different gift so I’ve had to learn to manage each one individually which allows us to connect on a much deeper level.

  

5. What are 5 main principles you teach your children that you would want them to carry beyond your time on this earth?

 

#1 My first principal was teaching them MY role as a parent: Protect, provide, PREPARE. My decisions might not be what you want or like all the time but it’s ALWAYS to “protect, provide or prepare”.

 

#2 Integrity: ALWAYS do what you say you are going to do. Your word is the only thing you have. Use it wisely.

 

#3 Character: Character is the only thing that can defend you when someone speaks bad about you. Let your actions and your character speak on your behalf.

 

#4 Accountability: Never make excuses. Be honest and take responsibility for your mistakes so you can learn from them.

 

#5 Think about your children: Decisions you make now WILL affect the quality of life of your future children. People who want better, DO better. What legacy do you want to leave behind for your children to carry on? Start making those choices NOW.

 

motherhood

6. Have you ever felt like you made a mistake as a mom? How did you move past it?

 

No, never. I’m not implying that I’m perfect, I’m simply saying that I use every experience as a life lesson. No matter how wrong it is, if it was used as a platform to teach or learn from, it resulted in something good.

 

Example: Didn’t you have to see that one kid to know how you WON’T raise your kid? Didn’t you have to experience that absent father to know how good of a dad you would be? It’s not that bad things don’t happen, but it’s all about how you turn the bad around to help you set positive standards in your life.

 

7. What do you feel are your greatest accomplishments as a mom and as individual?

My best accomplishments were deciding to bear each of my children. My GREATEST accomplishments are still yet to come.

 

8.  If you could speak to all moms everywhere at the same time, what are some tips or encouraging words you would give?

I would just say that we all gotta do better, including myself. We have to take more accountability for our children, not make excuses or blame others. We have to PARTICIPATE in their education and not expect their teachers to do it all. We have to set higher standards and not accept anything less. And most importantly, we need to love our babies enough to want MORE for them than what we had.

Wife to an amazing husband, mother to an exploring toddler and an MPA graduate aspiring to impact the world with encouragement in mothering and in social entrepreneurship.

Hey there friend!

Thanks for trusting me to fill your space with tools and resources to make intentional living easier. When you sign up, you will receive booklists for your children, organizing tools, discounts for services, spiritual and faith-based guides and more to help you declutter your mind. Decluttering in the first step to orgsnization. Can't wait to take you there.