Parent Profile: Cheryl Brown
by Melissa Blair
Cheryl Brown, Head of School at St. James Day School.
Spouse: Jim. Children & Grandchildren: son Tim Brown and his wife Kim have two adopted children: Nate, 8, and Audri, 3. Our second son, Mike Brown and his wife Rebecca have two children: Matthew, 15, and Melayna, 9. Our daughter Kendyl is married to Stephen Gray, and their son is Eli who just turned one.
What are you currently reading?
Unfortunately I have never really read for pleasure. I read all the time to learn. Currently I am reading “Mind In The Making – the Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs” by Ellen Galinsky. In my position at school, and with new grandchildren, I am always reading about child development.
What’s the favorite book you’ve read to your kids?
I love all the Sandra Boynton books. They have lots of rhymes and are silly.
When did you know you wanted to be a parent?
I don’t think there was ever a time that I thought about becoming a parent. I was really into my career and enjoyed working. As life would have it, I fell in love with a man who had two boys. They were thirteen and eight when we got married. I became an instant parent. Fortunately my husband was a wonderful parent and taught me a lot about parenting. When I found out I was pregnant I wasn’t as nervous as I probably would have been because I have such a great helpmate. We were blessed to have a girl.
What is your proudest parenting moment?
I don’t think there is one specific moment. I think what makes me the proudest right now is how all three of my children have become such wonderful parents. Their priorities are their children. They spend time with their children, they provide for their children, they discipline their children, they love their children. As a parent the thing I wanted most for my children was for them to be happy, healthy and a good parent. They all have certainly succeeded in being great at parenting. They were also very successful in selecting wonderful spouses!
My favorite childhood movie growing up was…
The Sound of Music. It was the very first movie I saw at a movie theatre. It was fun to go to Austria a few years ago and see the gardens where the movie was filmed.
I hope to teach my kids how to…
Cope with life. No one gets through this life without something not-so-pleasant. We all will fail and experience stress, setbacks, and disappointments. As parents, it’s up to us to celebrate the good times but also to do our best to prepare our children for the not-so-good. We can help our children learn skills for solving problems and to carry on. When my daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 14, it was one of the hardest things to go through as a parent. My daughter’s ability to cope and deal with this daily life-long chronic disease is amazing. She accepted it and moved forward. It doesn’t stop her from doing anything she wants to do. My oldest son and his wife were not able to have children. The adoption process is not an easy task, but through their perserverance they were able to adopt two beautiful children. The other thing I hope I have taught my children is fair isn’t everyone getting the same thing. Fair is everyone getting what they need in order to be successful.
What is your favorite time spent as a family?
Anytime we can all be together. It is harder with everyone’s busy schedules these days but when we have the opportunity to all be together with all the grandchildren it is my favorite time. I am thankful that my children make being together with their brothers and sister and their children a priority. They tease each other a lot and there is a lot of laughter. Making those memories for their children is so important. My favorite time spent is just being together.
Best parenting advice you’ve ever received?
Just breathe, and get a good night’s sleep.
What is your favorite thing about being a grandparent?
Everything! It is so fun to watch them all grow. I have five grandchildren and they range in age from 1 to 15. For each grandchild, I hope to create a special activity that is a unique time for that child. I hope to create those memories so that when I am gone they will remember those special times and will want to do memorable things with their grandchildren. I hope they will always know that no matter what they do, or where they go, that I love them and they are very special.
What about being a grandparent is different than being a parent?
I am blessed that my children are such great parents, so unlike some grandparents I don’t have the daily job of raising my grandchildren. I get to spend special time with them. I don’t feel guilty about not cleaning the house or doing the laundry when asked to watch a grandchild. I can just do those chores another day. I try not to sweat the small stuff. Maybe that comes with age and experience, or maybe it’s an understanding that time is the one thing we can’t get back.
If you could pass any important wisdom to your grandkids, what would it be?
My mom gave me a card when I graduated high school and I have always thought it was good advice. Since my mom passed before I had children I guess it would be good advice to pass to my grandchildren. The card said, “Life is short, live it. Love is rare, grab it. Anger is bad, dump it. Fear is awful, face it. Memories are sweet, cherish it.”
