Where do you live? And are you from there?

I live in beautiful Arizona, North Glendale to be exact. Whenever anyone asks me about Arizona I tell them that it’s one of God’s best kept secrets. Yes, it gets hot here, and today it’ll be 115F and for most of the summer BUT that’s nothing since I get to enjoy the beautiful sky every night. I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else!

Like most of us I am not a native of where I currently live; I am originally from Indiana moved to Atlanta in 1993 and then moved to Arizona in 2004. I lived in Atlanta for a lot of years but had to move away due to leaving an abusive relationship and life. I wanted better for my boys and me so I got out of Atlanta and moved here to Arizona. It’s one of the best moves I’ve ever made especially since I met my awesome husband here!

What language(s) do you speak?

I was raised by an English-speaking family. One day my mom and I joined a local Girl Scouts troop and we had a guest troop leader visit our meeting, she taught us the alphabet in American Sign Language (ASL). It was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen and I was so fascinated that after I moved to Arizona, I attended Phoenix College to become an ASL Interpreter. I wanted to pass on the language and taught my boys, as I believe knowing more than one language is beneficial!

When did you first become a mother?

I became a mom in April of 1993 to my first boy and August of 1995 to my second. My oldest just graduated and is headed off to college and my youngest is a junior in high school. I’m so proud of them!

Are you a stay-at-home mom or do you work?

I worked most of my boys’ younger lives but in 2001 I was diagnosed with MS & Fibromyalgia and became a stay at home mom. I had always seen myself owning a business that allows me to help others and now that my boys are older I can begin to work on that dream. I am building a Brand and a Nonprofit Teen Foundation so I guess that makes me a work-at-home-mom.

How would you say that you are different from other moms?

What a cool question, but one I think is a question for two people who could answer that better than me! So I asked my children. Boys why am I different from other moms? Their answer was, “Mom you’re different from the other moms we know because you take the time to remember what it felt like to be a teenager and you talk with us not at us”. So I guess that’s my answer.

If I must answer though I’ll say I’m different because I like the teenage years of my kids! Yea they may be snippy and think that they know it All but hey I was once a teen too and I had to learn life!

What would you say is challenging when raising children in today’s world?

There are so many negative things going on in the world and the biggest challenge is trying to keep our kids safe from harm yet expose them to life. Parents all that we can do, is equip our kids with tools that will assist them in succeeding in spite of the obstacles the world will throw.

Why do you blog/write and how did you find World Moms Blog?

Once my kids grew up I decided to blog because I thought it a great way to share my life’s journey. Moms sometimes need to know that they are not alone when it comes to raising kids so as a mom of teenagers I look to use my experiences in hopes of helping readers.

I am on-line a lot  and have met a lot of people through social networking; a lot of people don’t quite get social networking but I’m thankful for Twitter because without it I would have never found World Moms Blog!

What do you like best about writing for World Moms Blog?

I enjoy writing for World Moms Blog because I get to communicate with moms all across the world; it’s a great avenue to share with others having the same experiences I am. Most importantly, I get to be a part of a family that helps mothers and that’s an honor to me!

You can find Dr. Jeanelle Marshawn right here on World Moms Blog, on Twitter @JeanelleLanham and on Facebook at TheSWAGDoc. Her web addresses are: www.TheSWAGDoc.com or www.DrJeanelleMarshawn.com

Dr. Jeanelle Marshawn Lanham (USA)

Dr. Jeanelle Marshawn Lanham is an Indiana native now living in Arizona, USA. She’s the Founder of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Teen Center – Hodge Podge the Teen Cafè™ (http://www.HdgPdg.com), CEO of Iron WoMan Inc™ (http://www.IronWoManInc.com), a writer, is known to teens all over the world as the S.W.A.G Doc™ (http://www.TheSWAGDoc.com), a wife and most importantly a mom to two awesome boys. She joined the Army when she was a senior in high school because she did exceptionally well on the testing and was involved in the Gulf War. She served 8 years and is now a disabled Vet but that doesn’t get her down, nor stop her. Dr. Jeanelle Marshawn Lanham loves to write and help teenagers feel better about themselves. She knows ASL and signs with her deaf friends when she can. She’s always busy writing and building her Brand and found it great when she was given the opportunity to write for World’s Mom Blog. She has many goals on her bucket list and once her business has grown to her satisfaction, her goal is to own her own bull(s) (yes, real bulls!) and have them participate in the PBR (Professional Bull Riding). Traveling is a love of hers and one day she will visit Italy! You can find Dr. Jeanelle Marshawn Lanham on FaceBook at http://www.FaceBook.com/theSWAGDoc or Twitter @JeanelleLanham – Her heart is true to Rehabilitating Teens, Coaching Moms & Encouraging others.

More Posts