Austin is bursting with people doing exciting work, and that includes moms who work hard to raise their kids. Every other month, Austin Family features a short interview with an Austin mom doing the extraordinary work of parenting.
Austin, meet Amanda Salinas.
AF: Tell our Austin Family readers a little bit about yourself and your family.
For the past 11 years, I’ve anchored the morning news at FOX 7 Austin. This year, I launched our station’s Spanish language digital newscast FOX 7 Español, which I produce and anchor. I’m originally from the border; my mom is from Laredo, Texas and my dad is from Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. I grew up and was educated in both countries and, to this day, I still travel frequently to Mexico. My husband and I are parents to two great kids, ages 20 and 19. Both are in college now so I’m learning how to be an “empty nester.”
AF: Who has been a role model for you as a mom and why?
My mother is my main role model, and she instilled in me a strong work ethic. There are also a handful of teachers who influenced me greatly as I was growing up and I consider them role models, as well.
AF: What are a few good things about raising kids in Austin?
Community is the best thing about raising kids in Austin. Also on our list: access to world-class festivals/events, amazing outdoor/nature spaces, museums and historical markers, plus great food.
AF: What is some of the best parenting advice you’ve received?
“Little kids, little problems. Big kids, big problems.”
AF: If you had known then what you know now, what would you have worried about less as a parent?
I would have worried less about keeping my children on a schedule and would have focused instead on staying in the moment.
AF: What’s one of the biggest challenges of parenting you didn’t expect?
I didn’t expect that patience would be such a part of parenting. As parents, we are challenged to accept that struggle and difficulty are part of life.
AF: What do you love these days about being a mom?
I love the relationship that I have with my children at this different stage of life, especially the relationship I have with my 20-year-old daughter. She trusts me, she calls me, she listens to me, and I listen to her. It’s everything I could have asked for and more.
Alison Bogle is a writer living in Austin with her husband and three children. A former fourth grade teacher, she now enjoys writing about children and education. You can also catch her talking about articles from Austin Family magazine each Thursday morning on FOX 7 Austin.
