Moms
A Mother's Day Tribute to:
Written By Holly Strother
Contribution By Staff
Motherhood can be tough. There can be days you feel like pulling out your hair. Laundry can pile up while book reports
sit on the kitchen table and your student has a minor meltdown. There are also moments where a cherubic face melts you
to the core. A dandeglion becomes the most precious fl ower you have ever seen and the word “mommy,” fi lls you with joy.
Despite it all the ups and downs, these Santa Clara county moms wouldn’t change a thing.
Lauren, Jody, Lucus, Max and Joe Pulford
Jody Pulford
Jody and her husband, Joe moved to Gilroy 14 years ago.
She is a stay-at-home mom who serves on the board of
directors of Unravel, a non-profi t addressing pediatric cancer.
Joe works for West Marina in Watsonville. They have three
children, Lauren (10), Max (8) and Lucus (4).
“I love being a mom,” Jody tells
TODAY . "I love see-
ing them learn new things.”
Jody feels very strongly in the importance of family and
keeping close ties to them. She notes that she and Joe both had
great growing-up experiences and said she "is super lucky that
way.” And, they want the same for their children.
When asked about the challenges of having three children,
the last one just in pre-school this year, she says "there is so
much to worry about, so I try to focus on just a few at a time. I
think my biggest challenge is keeping them safe. And I always
encourage them to be kind to others as well as themselves.”
Jody made a point to note Joe's role in the family dynamic
stating that he "balances things out.” "He brings things like
follow-through, structure, and the knowledge of things like
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GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
calculus. And he adds fun and levity in the evenings and on
weekends.”
Jody likes where she is right now, with a little free time to
herself, at least for the two days that Lucus is in preschool. She
feels she has a good handle on things and is enjoying watching
Lucus beginning to expand beyond his siblings and parents.
"At four, he loves to fold the laundry and manages to find all
sorts of things to fold; it's really fun.”
"Lauren (10) is at a great age — more mature, helpful with
Lucus and understands “why” more. She's so respectful and it
has been fun to see that development,” said Jody.
Max (8) is painfully shy and a real homebody but his mother
notes that "he is very kind and thoughtful. He likes to read, is
introspective and likes playing on his own.” He was elusive for
TODAY and hard to corner for the above photo.
Advice to mom's: “Don't be too hard on yourself or your
kids and try to remember what is was like for you growing up.
This time really goes by fast. And, always recognize the good in
them—every day..”
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APRIL/MAY 2018
gmhtoday.com