Entry #2

Sent in by: Julie Magar

* Who are you nominating as the Ultamate Mom? Erin Charpentier
* Your relationship with her? Close friend

I’ve known Erin since we both studied to be English teachers at Indiana University. We became friends when we realized we shared a love of literature and a passion for imparting our love of learning and reading with young adults. I gained further respect for Erin when I came to know she was not only excelling as a student, future educator and friend, but she was doing all this while recovering from an unthinkable act of violence and fighting an unjust system to put her attacker behind bars. Never did I see Erin falter in her fight for justice, nor did I see her allow this one incident jade her outlook on life or alter her positive, humorous, and uplifting demeanor.

Since that time, Erin has entered into a loving marriage, become an excellent and inspiring teacher, the proud mother of Luke (her two year old son), and the expectant mother to another little life due in July. Erin and her husband continually amaze me as parents. They have infinite patience and teach Luke compassion, tolerance, and dignity through their everyday actions and personal philosophies of non-violence, love of learning and unfailing love. Erin’s love for her son is evident in the whole of her being—it is visually evident when she holds him; you can see their mutual love to such a degree as it becomes its own, palpable entity.

Somehow, while being super mom and super teacher, Erin always finds time to be glamorous. She taught me much of what I know about makeup, and one of my favorite parts of any visit to the Charpentier house is the few minutes we sneak between activities with Luke for her to do my makeup. She is so talented that she has started doing bridal makeup on evenings and weekends to supplement their teacher salaries. She has been working and will continue to work through her pregnancy despite the significant physical and mental demands of working with middle school aged students. A day of pampering and beauty would offer her some much needed relaxation. Like many pregnant women, she finds the physical changes associated with the late stages of pregnancy difficult, and a day of beauty will help her feel as beautiful outside as she is inside. It will also be an opportunity to have a little ‘me’ time before she makes the leap from a working mother of one to a working mother of two.