Family First

Not only am I a mom to a 1- and a 5-yearold,but I’m also a partner at a law firm,the “First Lady of Phoenix,” and an anti-bullying advocate.

Sometimes I feel like I have four full-time jobs, but I love every minute of it. People often say to me, “I don’t know how you do it.” The truth is, sometimes I don’t know either. What I do know is that my husband and I couldn’t do it without help and that we aren’t always going to be perfect. Regarding help, we are blessed to have my mother who helps smooth out those days when kids are sick, a client is in town
or there’s a city crisis. Regarding our lack of perfection, I’ll be the first to admit that my son thinks
making cookies “from scratch” means rolling out the dough I bought from Fresh & Easy, stamping it out with cookie cutters, putting
the cookies in the oven, and then decorating them with a container of Betty Crocker’s finest frosting.While Martha Stewart might not “approve” of our method, to me, it’s more important that we spent the time together and had fun in the process.
As the mayor of Phoenix, my husband answers to 1.4 million Phoenix residents. As an attorney, I answer to my clients, whose
life situations need to be resolved. But at the end of the day, the most important people we answer to are our children because we want to
make sure we have an impact on the people they become. We want to impress upon them the importance of their local community and service. We want them to feel safe, confident and loved, and to do that, you have to spend time together. For our family, having time
with our kids is more of an art than a science. Both my husband and I have been known to pick up our kids from childcare for a spontaneous
weekday afternoon outing after a particularly busy stretch at work. As a family, we take time out to visit local museums, entertainment and educational spots, restaurants and parks. Our favorites are the Arizona Science Center and Encanto Park, where
we enjoy the rides, playing in the water and going for a bike ride. I cherish the moments I have with my children, Trevor and Violet.
Like all moms, I lament that their time as little people is flashing before my eyes.For me, early mornings and late afternoons have
always been a time to cherish with my kids.

My typical day means leaving work at 4 p.m., spending the evening with them, and then getting back to work for several hours after they go to bed. While it may sound like a demanding schedule, there’s something so peaceful about having dinner with my children,
tucking them in at night and watching them drift off to sleep after an adventurous day. It is this peacefulness that makes all of the challenges of the day (and the night yet to come) worth it.

By// Nicole France Stanton

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