DELAVAN, Wis. — Our Two Americas series expands the America we know by illuminating the America we may not.
This Mother's Day, our focus is on moms.
Throughout the day, we are showing you the lives of hardworking moms in Wisconsin.
We were able to spend some time with a Delavan mother of two.
On a typical weekday, mother of two Stacie Sheppard is up before sunrise, getting her seven-year-old son James and ten-year-old daughter Samantha ready for school.
We asked her what it is like being a mom. "It's the most amazing thing, and the most nerve wracking thing at the same time. There's so many things to keep track of. A lot of the days I feel I'm a better mom to the kids at school than I am to my own kids," she says.
Her day gets even more hectic, as she wears many hats working as a teacher at Bigfoot Union High School teaching social studies. She is the testing coordinator for the school, is the bowling coach, and will add another big title after going back to school for certification. "Director of Pupil Services covers the director of special education role but it also covers English language learners alternative education," she says.
She feels having a seven-year-old son with Down Syndrome gives her a parents' perspective to teaching. "We didn't find out that James had Down Syndrome until after he was born. It was 100 percent the biggest transition of our lives. It's important to go out and join a support system. Realizing it wasn't just a diagnosis, but something that we were going to live with, but get used to and enjoy."
But how does this busy mom find time for herself?
"My 'me time' is the time with my kids and the time with my husband, and doing all that stuff. I'm very, very fortunate. I know everybody doesn't have the support system I do," said Stacey.
An important lesson for us all to remember: how crucial mothers are to our future generation and the fabric of our community.
We followed more moms throughout the day. Click here to watch the day in the life of Manitowoc mother of five. Click here to watch the day in the life of a Kenosha County mother of a newborn baby boy.
