Happy Mother’s Day to moms everywhere! Mothers and their children always have a very special bond,  always looking out for their kids and there with a shoulder to lean on. Although all our mothers our special, High Country moms are some of the best! Here in our office we have some mothers of our own. Melissa, our wonderful office manager, and Elyse, our agent Stephen’s wife, are incredible examples of High Country moms.

Highlights of being a High Country Mom

Elyse has 3 children, ages 7,2, and 9 months. Melissa on the other hand is just starting out with one baby boy who is almost 1 year old!

Both Elyse and Melissa have a passion for mountain living and are so excited to share that with their children. Specifically, Elyse loves taking her children to Tweetsie, which she says they do almost every weekend. They  enjoy the Boone parades, fishing in the river, and July 4th fireworks, all of which were her favorite parts of growing up here. She is excited for future family camping trips and high school Friday night football as they get older.

Melissa is excited to share with them a love for music, an interest and involvement in sports, and most of all spending time exploring the mountains.

Growing up is hard to do, and Mom’s always try to give their children the best they can provide. Elyse recalled that during her childhood, their home was deep in the woods and somewhat isolated from neighbors. Now, her family lives in a more centralized area, giving her kids close by friends to play with! Melissa is grateful that her 2 loving parents provided everything she needed, although, she did comment about always wanting a dog growing up. “My son will never have to worry about though since he has 2 older slobbery siblings to play with!” noted Melissa. 

Perks of Raising Kids in the High Country

Raising kids can be a challenge anywhere, but here in the High Country there are many resources to help moms out.  Melissa compliments the great support she received from Harmony Center for Women during pregnancy, birth, and starting out with a newborn. She also mentioned Blue Ridge Pediatrics for the great care they give to her little boy. The Bluebird exchange is Melissa’s top shopping place for affordable baby items and clothes.

Elyse said that the biggest resource for their family is all the activities around town! She loves taking her kids out in all the nature here like the Greenway and Grandfather Mountain. She added that Chickfila and the Watauga Public Library hold fun kid-friendly events that she loves to bring her children to!

Versus raising children in “the city”, both High Country Moms appreciate how the laid-back mountain lifestyle gives them more time with their children. It gives their kids a greater opportunity to spend time in nature without technology, exploring their imaginations.

Speaking of loving mountain life, both moms  agreed that their kids would be raised as ASU Mountaineers! In fact, Melissa’s son went to his first tailgate at just 3 months old!

 

Advice to Future Mothers

Elyse says,

“There is no such thing as a perfect mom or perfect kids.  Some days they are super fussy and clingy and some days they are so independent and want to learn as much about their world as they can.  Some days they won’t nap, and the day seems to drag on forever then some days you will have so much fun together, you won’t even realize you’ve missed nap time until it’s bedtime.  Some days they won’t feel well, and you would give anything to help them feel better and then some days you’ll know they are sick but you can never tell because they are so busy playing.  All this to say, they all have their less than perfect days, BUT the good days make it all worth it and you forget about everything else. There’s no greater adventure or more rewarding “job” than being a mom!”

While Melissa added how amazing and rewarding a job it has been so far. She added “don’t blink!”.

Thank you to all the High Country Moms who raised us, and continue to be there throughout our lives. Spend some time with your mother today and make sure to tell her how much you appreciate her!

Looking for something fun to do with Mom? Check out our list of great High Country Wineries or 48 Fun things to do in the High Country!