Supermom Series II: Kelly Black

Throughout this holiday season I will be featuring inspiring women in a series I like to call the Supermom Series. (This is the second time I have run the series. Find the first HERE.) I love doing this series because it gives us a glimpse into the lives and hearts of other women and moms. To see how they do it. To see what makes them unique and inspiring. And to see some of ourselves in them, and hopefully grow in the process. Every Monday through December and January, I will have a new "Supermom" with me to answer a few questions.

Kelly Black of Securityville is with us today. There are lots of things I admire about Kelly. She's honest & open, dedicated & determined. And most of all, she's real.
So without further ado, here we go. Do you remember the questions?
What inspires you? :: Where do you find it? :: How do you live it?

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Please let me start by saying how honored I am to be featured as part of Lyndsay's Super Mom Series. I've had extraordinary moments being a mother, but I've never thought of myself as "Super" by any stretch of my imagination. Thank you for considering me, Lyndsay.

Being a mom is such a complex job. Right now I'm going through a new phase of motherhood as my almost-twelve-year-old son is changing. He's entering that stage where he wants more freedom, less questioning and 'hands-on' style of mothering from me, and more autonomy. Frankly, I'm lost right now. It actually moves me to tears sometimes as I'm trying to figure out how to remain a devoted parent, but give him plenty of space to grow.

Our family living arrangement is a bit on the 'different' side, so to speak. I share joint custody of my son with his father, and this has been the way we've done things for the past six years. Fortunately his father and I get to see our son quite a bit in between on the weeks when he is with the other parent because we just live a few miles away from each other.

I try to do all that I can to make this lifestyle as stable as possible for my son, myself and also for my husband who I've been married to for five years. Some days it is hard to find inspiration to please everyone involved, and I feel myself getting off track, but I remind myself that my life is about more than just me so I try to quickly straighten up and get back in line.

What inspires me? Life in general can be such an inspiration. There are things and people around me all the time that if I take the time to learn from them I can always take away at least one lesson.

Where do I find it? I find inspiration in many things... my son and my husband are consistent sources of inspiration for me, as well as some of my family and friends. Watching my son grow and morph into a young man is full of things for me to ponder. My husband has been diligently working to promote a new business so observing his successes have inspired me to do more with my career, too. Sometimes it is inspirational to just watch how people interact with each other and what they do when they are minding their own business. Even my dogs inspire me at times. Just seeing how loyal and loving they are helps me to always want to show them love and gratitude for all that they give me, and to show loyalty to the rest of my family and close friends.

How do I live it? Don't get me wrong, sometimes I fail to look at life with the right perspective. I get side tracked and lose focus, I get mad and act like a doofus from time to time. I have to remind myself of what I could've done differently and learn from those mistakes. Life is such an educational journey. I hope that I always am able to learn from people and things around me. I hope that I always remember to look for the inspiration. And my greatest hope is to inspire others to find and follow the good within themselves.