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Show Farmington housewife 1 99 1 Utah Young Mother By MARK EDDINGTON Staff Writer ., , FARMINGTON Music and the scriptures are key ingredients to raising her children, Wendy Goodrich McKenna, newly crowned crown-ed Utah Young Mother of the Year, said Monday. The Farmington homemaker won the honor over 20 other women nominated from across the state, at the annual convention Saturday in Salt Lake City of the Utah Association Associa-tion of American Mothers, Inc. "I really don't know why I was chosen," she said during an interview inter-view in her spacious Farmington home. It may have had something to do with her constant effort to upgrade her mothering skills and to teach moral and spiritual values in the home, she added. Teaching children in the home is important to the full-time mother of five, who is always looking for a teaching opportunity. "Sometimes the day can go by and I sit down and think, 'Boy have I even spent 1 any time with my children, have I taught them anything today?' " she said. To get around this dilemma, McKenna schedules that time in. She practices music an hour each morning with her daughters, Man- dy, II, who plays the flute; and Cami 9, who like her mother, also plays the harp. Her daughters are studying under the demanding Suzuki method and McKenna must attend each recital and lesson which she finds allows her to spend important impor-tant one-on-one time with her daughters. Mandy, Cami and their mother are often asked to play at weddings, church meetings and family get-togethers. She also has three boys: Mark, 7; Brian, 4; and Kyle, who will be 2 in April. Scripture study is another scheduled activity, and each morning morn-ing the family meets for moral instruction. in-struction. "Mothers need to teach children values. They just don't happen by osmosis," she said. Sex education is one area of moral instruction McKenna feels strongly about. Sex education should be taught by parents, she said, and should not be left to teachers in the classroom. McKenna said she and her husband, Richard, worked hard in preparing to teach sex education to their eldest daughter and found the lesson was a great success. "The quality Wendy has which really stands out, is her gentleness and optimism," said Karen Redd, a member of the local chapter who recommended Wendy to a nominating nom-inating committee for the award. "She is so gentle and good, not only with her own children, but also with other people. She treats everyone every-one like they are the dearest person in the world." After learning of the nomination, SEE MOTHER ON A-7 II I I I !' f it?' I I f I If . I f i ::'f Mother CONTINUED FROM A-l her thoughts wereas alwaysof her family. Worried about the increased in-creased demands on her time which would take her outside the home, she called her husband, Richard, who was working in Dallas, to get his input. "A lot of people say what a great honor this is," Richard, a regional manager with Greyhound, explained. ex-plained. "It is terrific, but what some people fail to realize the demands that go with the honor." Richard made his decision while driving between Dallas and Shreveport. He found himself making mak-ing a mental list of some of the qualities he most admired about his wife. "I realized the most striking quality about my wife was her enthusiasm. en-thusiasm. She wants to be a contributor con-tributor instead of a taker." Having realized this, he made his decision. "I urged her to go for it," he said. Richard and Wendy both realize she will sacrifice time at home for speaking engagements and parenting paren-ting workshops, but feel the honor will provide her with a unique opportunity op-portunity to help strengthen family values. To win the award, McKenna submitted a portfolio and spoke on her views of motherhood. She was also interviewed extensively. The National Young Mother of the Year contest is the next plateau, and McKenna will go to St Louis in April to vie for that honor. The Newly crowned Utah Young Mother of the Year, Wendy Goodrich McKenna, practices with daughter, Mandy, 1 1 . The Farmington homemaker says the family that practices music and reads the scriptures together, stays together. (Clipper photo by Mark Eddington) with a check for $ 1 ,000 to pay for her expenses. Despite her recognition and acclaim, ac-claim, she seems careful not to place herself above others. |