Am I Doing it Right?

(Interview with Kristina Merritt)

“Being a mom, nobody tells you if you're doing it right.” Kristina Merritt, a high school math teacher at Kennedy shares, while talking about her home and school life. Living with her husband Adam, not to mention her three boys; Brody (8), Cade (4), and Knox (7 months). Life at home can be a bit overwhelming. Some days it can be hard to be a mother.

Merritt is a high school math teacher on the weekdays. She deals with kids all day and only gets a break from 1:16- 2:08 and even then, she takes time to help her students. Being a geometry teacher can be difficult sometimes. Geometry can sometimes be considered one of the ‘hardest’ math classes which means, Merritt must have her work cut out for her. At the end of the day Merritt just wants to go home and hang out with her family. However, it isn't always easy to switch out of ‘teacher mode’.

“I wanna be a mom at home, not still [a] teacher.” Merritt says. She doesn't like to bring her school life home with her. She often tries to keep her schoolwork put away until the ‘kiddos’ are sound asleep, which tends to lead to late nights. It can be very stressful to have to stay up that late. In rare cases when she has free time she loves to sit on the couch and catch up on her favorite TV shows but shares it only happens if she’s lucky. Being a mother and a teacher is hard, but Merritt is starting to get the hang of it.

Merritt boys are filled with love and humor and they help her get through the hard days. “There will be times when they run up to me with a big huge smile and say, ‘I love you mom’,” times like this make her feel like she is succeeding as a mother. When she comes home everyday, she is always excited to see her children, “they keep me on my toes” she states.

Sometimes Merritt experiences doubt wondering if she’s ‘doing it right’. Wanting her kids to learn and do the right thing is something she struggles with. Merritt resorts to volunteering and helping the community so her sons can get a good example of what kindness looks like. ‘Adopt a Family’ is a volunteering organization, Merritt and her family participate in. Adopt a family is a program that helps give presents to families who may not be able to afford Christmas. “I want to teach my kids it’s not all about receiving, but it’s about giving too.” Merritt shared. Along with teaching her children the importance of compassion, she wants her boys to learn other good morals as well. Such as respect, honesty, and integrity.

                Some things Merritt looks forward to are family traditions. One of their traditions is going to Colorado to visit her sister. Her favorite part is the scenery and how kid friendly Colorado is. They visit her sister very summer and sometimes during the winter. Another tradition Merritt looks forward to is pumpkin picking. Every year the Sunday before Halloween, Merritt and her family go out to pick pumpkins. They then come home and carve them into fun faces. In fact, she revealed to her sons; Brody and Cade, that they were going to have brother by carving the month he was due into the pumpkin!

                Merritt might not be the ‘perfect’ mother, but she does believe she is making the most out of it. Merritt says to “never let the bad days overpower the good days” and claims that she is doing just that. Although there are a few challenges with being a mother and a teacher she believes there are no challenges she can’t overcome.