More (Motherhood) Moments

This Mother's Day, we are celebrating traditions, values, and lessons passed down from generation to generation, from mom to mom. Meet a few of our magnetic me moms and hear the traditions they're passing down.

Meet: Lauren Levy, coFounder and Visionary at Magnetic Me, and mom to three little ones

Q: What’s a special tradition passed down from your mom that you want to share with your own children?

A: My mom was a terrific cook and baker. My house always smelled amazing growing up.

Q: What’s one hope you have for your little ones’ future?

A: My mom always stood up for what was right, returned a penny if the grocery clerk gave her back one too many, was intellectually very curious… she had an amazing character. I hope my kids get a fraction of that.

Meet: Leslie Burdine, Social Worker and Mama to a new little one.

Q: What’s a special tradition passed down from your mom that you hope to share with your own children?

A: Our family celebrated our birthdays by always setting the table with our great grandmother's fine china. It always felt so special and from another era. There were several pieces and styles to choose from, and the birthday person got to choose what was used. Our mom made us our favorite meal and the whole family celebrated around our large farmhouse table.

To add a bit of fun, we also always had a stack of lottery tickets under our plate based on the number of years we were turning. I remember turning 10 and being so excited I'd get to scratch off ten lottery tickets! None of us ever won anything big, but it was something I always looked forward to. I love how our family celebrated birthdays and cannot wait to pass these down to our baby boy!

Q: What’s one hope you have for your little one’s future?

A: I hope that he will be confident in who he is, and live that truth no matter what anyone thinks of him. I want him to know that his loved ones will love him always and support him.

Q: What’s a lesson you learned from your mom that you hope to teach your little one?

A: To give to those around us who are in need of help. There are so many ways of giving, of our time, kind words, money, and so much more. Most of all, I hope he never forgets how to play!

Meet: Zehra Khawaja, Mama in Chief to two little ones & Magnetic Me Ambassador.

Q: What’s a special tradition passed down from your mom that you hope to share with your own children?

A: My mom shared many traditions with me, one of them being celebrating chand raat (sighting of the moon - the last night of Ramadan). We’d go out the night before Eid, eat some delicious snacks (chaat, samosas), and get henna, buy some bangles to match the new outfits that we would be wearing the next day.

Q: What’s one hope you have for your little ones’ future?

A: I hope that my girls aren’t afraid of being whoever they want to be, I hope all the glass ceilings are shattered before they become adults. I hope they can love freely, and practice whatever they believe in with no fear in their hearts.

Q: What’s a lesson you learned from your mom that you hope to teach your girls?

A: My mom is an extremely fun loving woman. She’s strong beyond belief and she always loves to see the good in everyone. Within every tradition she practiced with me, I always saw her eyes bright up like it was a celebration and not a chore. I hope I can raise my daughters the same way, teach them to always bring forth their inner child like happiness, and enjoy all the wonderful moments that life has to offer.

Meet: Candice Riley Campbell, an Atlanta-based Studio Owner and Creative Director at Nimble. Design Co, wife and mama of two beautiful boys, Landon (8) and Wells (6 months).

Q: What’s a special tradition passed down from your mom that you hope to share with your own children?

A: One theme instilled in my childhood was the act of paying it forward. Planning and leading small acts of kindness to lift others up, not just when called to, but often and impromptu. I vividly remember these experiences as a child.

One of my favorite memories was baking homemade cookies to gift to each resident at my great grandmothers’ assisted care facility. Knowing not every resident had family to visit with them, my sister and I felt called to extend just a bit of joy through a very simple act at the start o the holidays. The smiles we received in return were priceless.

To this day, I lead baking for my extended family every holiday season and am teaching my boys these recipes so they can keep up with the tradition of baking (and giving) as they grow.

Q: What’s one hope you have for your little ones’ future?

A: My greatest hope for my boys is that they enter every interaction with kindness and an empathetic heart. This and that they never lose their wild curiosity and hunger for learning.

Q: What’s a lesson you learned from your mom that you hope to teach your boys?

A: My mom has always put others first –– in her prayers, in her actions, in her ability to listen. This is a gift and one I will model daily for my boys.

Meet: Audrey Laine Seymour, Social Media Manager for Nemours Children’s Health System and a mom to twin boys.

Q: What’s a special tradition passed down from your mom that you hope to share with your boys?

A: My mom sang “You Are My Sunshine” to me every night when I was little. I’ve been singing that to my boys since they were in the NICU. They’ve started to sing along too!

Q: What’s one hope you have for your little ones’ future?

A: Love – I hope they know love, give love, and feel loved.

Q: What’s a lesson you learned from your mom that you hope to teach your kids?

A: Talk about your feelings openly and honestly. That will help you personally and professionally for your entire life.

Meet: Dabney Rohrbach, Mom to Gabriel, Benjamin & Dabney Shiloh, a beautiful blended family with Ghanian roots and global citizenship. We are based in Seattle and love going for long family walks, weather permitting. Grandmother Mimi lives just 1.2 miles away, so we are blessed with lots of family time (and a built in babysitter when needed).

Q: What’s a special tradition passed down from your mom that you hope to share with your own children?

    A: Growing up in my family, when you turn 16 years old, you are given a gold signet ring with your personalized monogram engraved. I remember how special it felt wearing, and now even more so to represent my family, especially now being married with a new last name and monogram.

    Q: What’s one hope you have for your little ones’ future?

      A: I hope that my children know that there is nobody else quite like them, they are exactly who they are supposed to be and that is their unique superpower. Love can conquer all. You are the very best parts of us and you can change the world. You are enough and are loved endlessly and will be forever and ever and ever and ever and ever.

      Q: What’s a lesson you learned from your mom that you hope to teach your kids?

        A: The lesson that I continue to learn from my Mom, even today, is to see the glass half full. As a self-proclaimed pessimistic leaning realist, this has been frustrating at times- how could someone possibly be that genuinely optimistic?! It is a gift, especially in this day and age. I will admit, I am still trying to reprogram myself to see the world in this way, and I would do anything for my children to as well.
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