Inspiring parents in our community: Chrissy and Emily

Phone: (970) 984-3333

Inspiring parents in our community: Kendra Nagey

Inspiring parents in our community: Chrissy and Emily

Welcome to our newest installment of conversations with inspiring caregivers in the valley! This week is something special – we got to sit down with friends Chrissy Lee-Manes and Emily Jack-Scott about parenting, working, and creating community.

Welcome! It’s always hard to coordinate moms getting together so glad it actually happened! First things first – can you introduce yourself and tell everyone how you met?

Emily: We were originally neighbors and our children are around the same age – we had mutual friends/neighbors who kept telling us we needed to meet.

Chrissy: I think we waved to each other while pregnant.

Emily: When you are in the weeds of new motherhood it takes a while to actually get out and connect. But over time we have come to find that our values are very similar and our value systems have been similarly humbled by motherhood. Now we’re friends who can meet up for margaritas when needed.

Chrissy: To introduce myself I am an entrepreneur {Homsted, Glenwood Springs}, mom of two children ages 2 and 4 years old, plant lady and mountain lover. I love rafting, cross country skiing, and hiking. I love to be in the mountains. I also love to get people together.

Emily: To interject, Chrissy is also a fantastic artist. She organized and painted two of the butterfly wings in downtown Glenwood.

And Emily:

Emily: I am an associate director at a science nonprofit. I am a mom to a 1.5 and 5 year old. I am a master gardener and have organized community gardens in New Castle. We all wear a gazillion hats to make up our own identities. (Also I am a Philadelphia native!)

Chrissy, you really wanted to have Emily’s voice shared in this series, what makes her a special person and mom friend for you?

Chrissy: Emily is one of the most thoughtful and caring people I know. She is always reaching out and letting others know she is there. She genuinely cares. She also does a lot for the community through gardening and volunteer work. She is one of those people who seems to balance family and doing other work.
Emily: Takes one to know one. Those words mean a lot coming from Chrissy. She is one of those people who really cares for others as well. But going back to being a person who seems to make it balance – I don’t! I don’t know if we ever feel that way. It changes week to week.

How do you try to make it balanced between work, volunteering, family and friends as well as finding space for yourself? For those on the outside seeing you and saying “she is doing such a great job” how do you help them find their own balance?

Emily: For me, reaching out and creating community is a form of self care. I am a naturally extraverted person so I would go crazy without shared experience and exchange. With my first child I tried so hard to hold on to my identity pre-kids and was really resentful that I couldn’t. Through cultivating a community I have been able to redefine my identity and help create my own response to the hard parts of parenting or work. In our {Emily and Chrissy’s} friend group there is such a level of honesty. It is powerful to see these intelligent women set the standard for parenting. It’s a group where you can share your victories and the hard days.

Chrissy: When we get together it is a sharing experience without the judgment or someone trying to fix it for you. Social media has such a way of portraying people at their best. As a parent that isn’t true. Being with other moms makes it seem much more real and okay to have hard days. I am like Emily, I love to organize things. Bringing a community together is essential to find that balance.

It seems like your friendship helps you ground yourself.

Chrissy: As a mom I have more insecurities than I did as just an individual. Even social media judges you for being a parent. It makes me begin to think that I’m not good enough. But I think my kids are okay! Having a friendship like this is a nice way to have a reset.

Emily: Did you have any turning points juggling between your identities as a mom and an individual?

Chrissy: We recently went on a river trip. It was nice to get out of the work routine and just do what I love to do with my kids. That was nice. Sometimes I can struggle with balancing the energy of work and being home with the kids.

Emily: It is nice to have friends to remind you of who you used to be.

Are there challenges of motherhood that have really stood out to you?

Emily: I need sleep. Mostly, motherhood has made me realize that I can’t do everything. As a fire wife I had to do everything solo, so I had to find the limits in the ability to do it all. It was humbling and saddening but ultimately liberating. And it forced structural changes in our life that were ultimately great.

Chrissy: That is true, motherhood has made me look at how to change the life balance. I am so used to being busy, I go stir crazy without something to do. Finding a pace of life that accommodates my kids, husband and me has been a learning experience. The kids have taught me priorities.

Emily: But that is one of my favorite parts of being a mom. Having kids show me the world and take time to notice the big and small things that I have skipped over.

Chrissy: And also motherhood allows us to show them our favorite places – places that we have been happy. And allowing us to experience the things that bring us joy with them.

Emily: And also motherhood has shown us how capable we are.