and it is really competitive. We get very, very competitive. And that’s, like, one of my best moments, because we get everybody together. WHAT IS THE KEY TO POSITIVITY? TANA: I tell my kids every day: Name one thing that you like about yourself, name one thing you’re grateful for every day, and name one thing you’re proud of yourself for accomplishing. When you ask yourself those three little things, you will forget all about the negative things. My whole house has ADHD, so we all have our own way of dealing with things. I like to tell people that ADHD is our superpower; it is what I feel like makes us so unique. With ADHD, it’s hard to complete things, so if I can name something that I completed within that day, it is very rewarding. HOW DO YOU PRIORITIZE TIME WITH YOUR HUSBAND? TANA: Sometimes, I feel like we’re trapped into parenthood. We face troubles like everyone else. That’s why eating breakfast together every day [after the kids go to school] is important to us; we kind of get out of parent mode
we were going to have that time together. WHAT’S SOMETHING YOU DO IN YOUR DAILY LIFE THAT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE? TANA: Start the mornings off positive. It amplifies the whole day. I used to find myself yelling, “Come on, we gotta go,” and rushing in the morning a lot. Get up a few minutes earlier. Get stuff done the night before. I find that [if] my kids go into their day feeling happier, they’re in a better mood. It can be hard, and sometimes I have to bite my tongue and let it out once they are out of the car, but the sacrifice makes a difference. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FAMILY TRADITION? TANA: Every Christmas Eve, we get into pajamas and go to my mom’s house. All of my brother’s kids, everyone’s spouses, and the grandparents get together. We let all of the kids open up their presents [from their relatives] on that day. We cook this big, old breakfast, even though it’s nighttime. The older people swap names, and we have to act out the person whose name we have. It’s funny. We’re doing karaoke, we’re doing games,
for a second and spend time with each other. Sometimes he’ll come to the shop if we have a 30 minute break, and he’ll bring coffee, and we’ll post funny videos and have a good time. After [the kids’ bedtime], it’s me and my husband’s time. We love documentaries, so that’s usually how we spend our alone time before bed, even when we’re tired and end up falling asleep on the couch. HOW DO YOU HANDLE WHEN THINGS DON’T GO AS PLANNED? TANA: Take it day by day. Every day is a new day, so don’t take yesterday’s problems into today. It’s okay to cry, and it’s okay to let your kids see you cry because it lets them know that you’re not a robot, that you’re emotional. One time, I broke down and cried in front of the kids. My son asked, “Mom, what’s wrong?” and I said, “I’m just really frustrated today, things are not going as planned.” It’s crazy, they started to clean their stuff and asked, “Well, what can we help you with?” When your kids learn that you have emotions too, they’re more understanding, they listen, and they respect you more. Us parents, we want to be perfect, but a perfect parent doesn’t exist.
NOLAFAMILY.COM | NOVEMBER 2025 15
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