Mom Life: Shana Knight

Name: Shana Knight
Title: Marketing and Outreach Manager at United Way of Frederick County
Lives: Frederick
Family: Daughter, Ashton, 2

 

Five things you can’t live without?
My daughter, caffeine, hand sanitizer, my family … and did I say caffeine?

What’s your favorite chore?
My favorite chore, without any doubt, is cleaning the kitchen. I feel like if any part of the house needs to be clean, it has to be the kitchen. It is the one room of my house that gets dirty the quickest, too. I find so much joy in washing the dishes, putting things away, wiping the counters down and then lighting a candle.

What would you do if you had one hour without any responsibilities?
I would either clean or go shopping. I love window shopping or visiting Target, thrift shops or the mall

What do you love about parenting?
The best part of being a mom is watching my daughter grow up. It has been so fun seeing who she has become over the last two years. She is goofy, smart, sassy and extremely compassionate. I love helping her navigate the world and seeing her get excited about the smallest things. It helps me be a better person and appreciate life more.

What do you find challenging about raising kids?
I think the biggest challenge is having the patience and perseverance in the most difficult times. When you’re sick, you’re still a mom. When you’re exhausted from a long day at work, you’re still a mom. When you are just having an awful day, you’re still a mom. There is no guarantee on those challenging days that your child is going to be easy to take care of. Another example is being strong for your kid when they aren’t feeling well and you want to ball up and cry. Seeing your child in pain is the worst.

What’s something that makes juggling motherhood and your career a little bit easier?
My career is one big thing that makes me feel like I am more than just somebody’s mother. Knowing that I am doing something for myself that will benefit not only me, but my family as well makes it worth it.

How do you take care of your mental and physical health?
I struggled with postpartum anxiety and how I learned to cope was realizing that I can’t wait for someone else, such as my partner, to be like “OK, you need a break go do this or that.” I have to be the one to decide when I need to take some time for myself — by eating right, exercising and getting some sun and fresh air.

How are you able to maintain a social life between working and parenting? 
I am still trying to figure this out. Most of my social life is either through the amazing people I get to see through work and networking events or the rare outings I have with my friends. This is a New Year’s resolution for me!

What’s something your family loves to do together?
We love taking our daughter to new places and to try new things. We have done the zoo, theme parks, nature centers, etc. We love seeing her reaction to the new things that she tries. She is such a curious little girl.

What do you love about raising kids in the Frederick area?
I love the amount of free or inexpensive kid-friendly events. There is always something going on. Saturday morning when I drink my coffee, I pull up event listings on Facebook and almost always find something for us to do. It doesn’t matter what time of year it is.

Written by Adranisha Stephens