FAMU DRS holds motherly celebration

Mothers at the balloon release following the "Muffins with Mom" event at FAMU DRS.
Photo submitted by Sheila Labissiere

Mothers at the Florida A&M University Developmental Research School (DRS) were given the opportunity to join their children at school for breakfast and words of encouragement at the annual “Muffins with Mom” day on Monday.

The event was coordinated by FAMU DRS Title I Coordinator, Sheila Labissiere, and her team of FAMU social work Interns.

The special day at FAMU DRS highlighted the bond between mothers and their children by showing appreciation for all the daily hard work that a mother does. There were almost one hundred mothers, grandmothers, aunts and other motherly figures in the DRS Cafe for the event.

The “Muffins with Mom” event was attended by the 112th Miss FAMU, Imani Cooper, along with several members of the Tallahassee Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Melissa Leon, the DRS Registrar, was one of the speakers on program. Leon spoke about her journey of motherhood and the trials and tribulations that other mothers could possibly be experiencing. She also gave tips on how to keep pressing forward and self-care as a mother.

“Today’s program was to empower moms and to have them take some time out of their schedules to come in and spend time with their children, and to take a break from life,” said Leon. “One of the things we shared through our message today is to help moms find out what they can do to make life a little easier… because if we don’t take time for self-care, we can’t effectively raise our children.”

Angela Jordan who is a grandmother of a DRS 2nd grader was one of many in attendance.  She was glad to be able to enjoy that moment with her granddaughter.

“Muffins with Mom meant a lot to me because I think it was an excellent opportunity for moms to be more engaged with and in their children’s academic environment,” expressed Jordan. “I also loved that it was themed for Breast Cancer Awareness because my granddaughter’s great grandmother passed from breast cancer so the subject is dear to me.”

Katisa Donaldson who is the mother of DRS students took away some helpful tips from Leon’s topic that she spoke about as well.

“I learned that I need to take a moment to breathe more often, a quiet moment, even if only five minutes so that I can adjust my mindset to be the best mom, wife, daughter and auntie that I can be,” explained Donaldson. “I also have to treat myself, and knowing that it’s okay to splurge on a pair of shoes for myself every now and again compared to always spending money on the kids, and overall just being the best Katisa that I can be.”

The event was also attended by a representative of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) who gave tips to the mothers on how to detect drugs such as spice, vaping, or e-cigarettes. The group also discussed how the moms could start the conversation with their kids without being nervous or negative.

The “Muffins with Mom” day ended with Labissiere leading the crowd outside to do a pink balloon release in honor of those who were affected in some way by breast cancer.