Parent You Should Know

By Heather M. Ross The bond between a mother and her son is one of the strongest there is, but this Frederick mother is closer to her son than most—they’re sharing one set of kidneys. When Zorina Thomas’ son, Lavon, was 11-months-old, she donated her kidney to him. Lavon was born with Prune Belly Syndrome, which meant that his kidneys …

For Larry Touchet, coaching baseball for his three boys is more than just an opportunity to bond over a shared love of the game. “To be part of their learning and growing process in such a relatable way is priceless,” he says. “Whether it is spending time with them teaching them the fundamentals, or having meaningful conversations about self-confidence and …

Laurie Carmody became familiar with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) through her sister-in-law, who has autism—and a love for teddy bears. That led the picture book author and mother of two from Monrovia to put her talents to use and write a book that could help children with undiagnosed autism feel seen and heard. When her protagonist, Corey—a boy with undiagnosed …

What inspired you to create your own designs? I love supporting my kids in whatever activity they are involved in. Typically, I’m on a sideline cheering my son for baseball or coaching my daughter’s rec cheer team. I knew I wanted a matching team cup and decided I could make them!   What’s the hardest part about juggling parenthood and …

What is the hardest part about juggling parenthood and your career? I made the decision early on that family would always take first position. Now that does not mean I made every game, every production or every awards event. When I could schedule City business, those were times I worked to avoid. The hardest part is keeping track of multiple …

  Meet a parent you should know in Frederick County. Jennifer Gerlock is the vice president of marketing and communications at the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce, and she serves as the executive director of Leadership Frederick County. What’s the hardest part about juggling parenthood and your career? Making hard choices about my time and priorities. “Balance” is almost a …

What’s the hardest part about juggling both parenthood and your career? The hardest part about juggling parenthood and my career is balancing the time evenly between the two. Priorities always need to be set in both areas, which often means I must miss important moments in my child’s life or a deadline at work. While I am passionate about a …

Tiffany Ellis is a labor and delivery registered nurse. What’s the hardest part about juggling parenthood and your career? For me, the hardest part is not always being able to attend every activity my children have going on in their lives. When I was a stay-at-home mom, I always had the availability to attend award ceremonies, lunch dates, holiday parties …

What’s the hardest part about juggling parenthood and your career? Setting and maintaining boundaries. I’m finally learning the importance of saying no and not overcommitting. I built a team I can trust, and there’s very little they can’t handle, so I generally don’t check work email after hours. All of these factors make it possible to take the time I …

What’s the hardest part about juggling parenthood and your career? I really think time constraints can be the largest challenge. I remember when I was commuting to The Music Center at Strathmore every day from Point of Rocks, and I was losing two-plus hours a day in my car. I was missing so much family time that I made the …