Occupation: Director of Communications and Events for the Louisiana Auto Dealers Association
Husband: Taylor
Children: Charlotte, 6; Elizabeth, 4; and David, 2
Hobbies: Gardening and reading

For Katherine Carver, parenting is an adventure full of laughs, dance parties, and faith. As a Baton Rouge mom of three, Katherine shares how she navigates it all by establishing a strong foundation for herself, not sweating the small stuff, and giving herself grace.

WHAT’S THE FUNNIEST THING ONE OF YOUR KIDS HAS SAID OR DONE RECENTLY?
KATHERINE: They make us laugh every day with little things. They’re at such fun ages with the questions they ask, especially our two-year-old. Our six-year-old is into jinxing people, and so David, our two-year-old, will come up and say, “jinx, double jinx,” with no context of what it means. It’s so cute, because then he just walks away laughing. Just the other night, my husband was putting him to bed, and Taylor said, “Okay, David, two more minutes. I’m going to rock you for two more minutes.” And David popped up and said, “No, one more minute.” That made us chuckle because he thinks he’s negotiating with us.

WHAT’S YOUR GO-TO FAMILY MEAL WHEN LIFE GETS HECTIC?
KATHERINE: Definitely spaghetti and meatballs. Our kids are at the age where one day they’ll like something, and then I cook it the next week, and they hate it. Spaghetti and meatballs never fail. If someone doesn’t like the sauce, I can just do the “mommy noodles” where it’s just butter, and they think it’s the best thing ever. The other thing is Serop’s, because when it’s hectic, going through Serop’s Express is a staple.

IF YOUR FAMILY HAD A MOTTO, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
KATHERINE: I’m going to get biblical with it and say, “love one another as I have loved you.” We’re a very Christian family, and we’re trying to instill the Scripture in our everyday life, giving them Bible verses or reminders throughout the day. We’re big about that right now with them. We treat everyone with respect, especially within our own family.

IF YOU COULD TAKE YOUR KIDS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD FOR A FAMILY ADVENTURE, WHERE WOULD YOU GO AND WHY?
KATHERINE: I really want to go on a cross-country road trip. There’s something about the idea of piling everyone in an RV or pulling a camper behind a truck and exploring what’s in the backyard of the United States. If we could take a year off life and drive across the country, that would be a dream adventure for our family.

WHAT’S THE ONE PARENTING HACK YOU SWEAR BY?
KATHERINE: A dance party never fails. If the mood’s down, if everyone’s fighting with each other, or if we just need to flip a switch, if you will, a dance party always works. We’re in the thick of it with a six-, four-, and two-year-old, but a dance party always turns the mood around.

WHAT IS ONE PIECE OF ADVICE YOU HOPE YOUR CHILDREN WILL CARRY WITH THEM AS THEY GROW?
KATHERINE: When everything seems like it’s falling apart, when you hit rock bottom, know that you can always turn to God and your family to get you through things. Never give up, never settle for anything that’s unsettling, and just stay true to yourself. You know who you are; God made you for a reason in this period of time, just stay true to that. And you can always go back to your roots, no matter what.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT RAISING A FAMILY IN BATON ROUGE?
KATHERINE: Aside from being close to our family, we just love the community that we built with our church, school, and the people I work with. It’s an easy community to get plugged into. I’m not from here, my husband’s from here, and it’s a very warm and inviting community.

HOW DO YOU BALANCE THE DEMANDS OF WORK, FAMILY, AND PERSONAL TIME?
KATHERINE: Every day is different, and I give myself a lot of grace. Having a strong network of mom friends, who are in similar walks of life in terms of ages, but then also having moms who are a step ahead in the ages, that helps a lot. Centering myself, my faith, and my family is the key. When I do a self reflection of when I feel the most balanced is when those are my foundation. That’s my center.

WHAT LEGACY DO YOU HOPE TO LEAVE FOR YOUR CHILDREN?
KATHERINE: Instilling a strong foundation in faith and family, because that’s a constant force driving me through life. It’s very important that they have that.

HOW HAS YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON WORK AND LIFE SHIFTED SINCE BECOMING A MOM?
KATHERINE: I remember going back to the office after my first maternity leave, and trivial things that would bother me before didn’t anymore. At the end of the day, I just want to get home to my kids. I just want to be a mom. That’s first and foremost. I’m much more guarded about how I let things affect me, and I don’t get bothered by all the noise.

WHAT IS A TRADITION OR ACTIVITY YOU HAD GROWING UP THAT YOU’RE EXCITED TO PASS ON TO YOUR KIDS?
KATHERINE: Being from Lafayette, I have very strong Cajun roots on both sides of my family, and we would go to the dance hall, and there would be a Cajun band. I feel like I will fail as a Cajun mother if they don’t know how to dance two step. And so it started. We’re going to more festivals, and there’s a dance hall in Lafayette by the airport, and we took them there this past weekend. I’m like, alright, we’re doing this more, because they just love the music, and it was so fun to see them, listening to the music and dancing.

WHAT’S THE MOST REWARDING PART OF YOUR ROLE AT THE LOUISIANA DEALERS ASSOCIATION?
KATHERINE: Working for the dealers and representing the auto dealers of Louisiana, it was so much more than I expected. I didn’t come from an automotive industry background, so getting to tell the stories of what the dealers do for our communities, for their employees, and just the vast community, it’s so inspiring to know that they’re so selfless, they’re so giving.

DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR OTHER PARENTS?
KATHERINE: Don’t sweat the small stuff. When new moms come to me with questions, I tell them to trust their gut, because we really do have this maternal-paternal instinct deep in us. And, you know your kid, and every kid’s going to be different, so give them the grace and the space to grow and explore. Find what works for your family and be flexible, because it’s going to change. Give yourself all the grace, and just trust your instinct, because you’ve got it.