VAL_MOM_FebMar19 - page 11

mommag.com
11
Angel Harris
Gets real!
Cover MOM
Family comes first.
All families are unique. Tell us about
yours.
We are a family of five. My husband and I
have been best friends for 22 years and
married for 15 years. John, our oldest, loves
to read, write stories and play basketball.
Makaylah, our middle child, loves all things
ballet. Josiah, our youngest, gives great
massages, loves swim lessons and would
probably watch a movie everyday if you let
him. We keep busy with all of our activities
but love hanging out and watching a good
movie together or you can find us playing a
card or board game in our spare time.
Every family has their own traditions,
rituals or inside jokes. What’s one of
yours?
During the holidays, my husband makes
sweet potato pie. I am fromMississippi and
sweet potato pie is a staple for the holidays.
My daughter loves it so much she even
requests it for her birthday instead of cake.
Does your family have any unique
traditions to help you celebrate family
birthdays?
Yes! Each of the kids basically get three
birthday celebrations: one with their
closest friends, sometimes at the house
and sometimes out somewhere; one with
extended family; and one with just us
where we usually end up at Red Robin
As a mom, registered nurse and
community advocate, Cover MOM
Angel Harris is committed to
building a community that is
inclusive and welcoming to all.
enjoying a free birthday meal and deciding
whether we want the Red Robin staff to
sing to us or not. We really make birthday
celebrations a big thing in our family. We
love to celebrate life!
Tell us about one of your proudest mom
moments.
I had noticed my youngest son, Josiah, was
having some difficulty with his eyes when
he was watching television. I also noticed he
was having a difficult time reading and
didn’t want to read. I thought it was strange
because, in preschool, reading was one of
the things he looked forward to about
starting kindergarten. I took him to the eye
doctor and they did not really find anything.
About a year later, I noticed again that
something just was not right, so I took him
back to the eye doctor. It was a different
doctor this time, and she found that he
needed to go to a specialist and that his
eyes were not converging. After going to
the specialist, it was found that Josiah had
double vision. When reading, he would get
headaches. I was so relieved. The doctor was
so impressed with me because she said that
most people don’t notice a problem like this
until later. I felt pretty proud of myself and
realized my assessment skills were pretty
good. We were able to do Vision Therapy,
and now Josiah is doing so much better
with reading and has no more double vision
or headaches.
Now tell us about one of your most
humbling mommoments.
There have been many humbling moments.
There was a show called“Are You Smarter
Than a Fifth Grader?”Well, about four years
ago my daughter introduced me to
Common Core Math. At that time, I
questioned whether I was smarter than a
second grader. I just could not understand
why they were doing math that way, and I
was thoroughly confused. Today, with much
help and Google, I am now at least smarter
than a second grader. No one warned me
that, as a parent, I would be learning so
much as my kids go through school. Some
days I feel like I am in school.
Your biggest wish for your kids is…
I pray the kids know Jesus; that they will be
secure in who God made them to be; that,
no matter what others say or do, they will
stand on truth even when they have to
stand alone. I pray that they will be humans
that will change the world around them for
the good.
No one works harder
than mom.
We know that being a mom is a full-time
job. Tell us about your work or volunteer-
ism outside of the home.
I work at the Mennonite Home as a
Registered Nurse. My husband and I have
been very involved in leadership at our
church. I am a part of the Corvallis School
District Equity Leadership Team Advisory
(DELTA). I am also the newly elected
President of the Corvallis-area branch of the
NAACP where I have served since 2014 in
leadership roles, including the chair of the
Community Coordination Committee.
Through this community I have had the
opportunity to help organize community
events such as the Annual Juneteenth
Celebration and Living the Black Experience
three-part series. I love building relation-
ships and collaborating to make this
community inclusive and welcoming to all.
Oh, I just love people!
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