From her emotionally charged montage of eating ice cream while spouting off rationale why she isn’t her kids’ friend to a sarcastic, humorous rant of four reasons why women shouldn’t breastfeed in public (which, by the way, Kristina advocates), the petite, brunette takes nothing for granted and is the first to admit she has come a long way.
“I consider myself a recovering pessimist,” Kristina declared. “You know, we pretty much have everything we need to pursue our dreams. We have it; it’s within us. We’re just scared. And we focus more on what we don’t have and what we don’t do instead of what we can do and what we do have, because a lot of times those things feel smaller, but when we are true to ourselves, that authenticity is what sets us free.”
Kristina’s Influence: Her Mom
“Fun, strict parenting” is a work-in-progress of Kristina’s self-described parenting style. She loves the current phase in her life embracing her toddler’s mischievous antics and being amused by her two charismatic teenagers, and credits her devotion to motherhood from the major influence of her own mother.
In a Mother’s Quest podcast, the Croatia-born native said fleeing the country that broke out in war when she was 12 years old gave her a distinct appreciation for the strength and character of her mother. She describes her as bold and someone who speaks her mind, but doesn’t draw attention to herself though she is poised with grace and class.
“My mom is very different from me. If you met her, she literally would never, ever be on camera and barely talk, like very few words, and I have lots of words,” Kuzmic gushed. “It’s interesting because even though we are so different, a lot of my parenting decisions come from my mom. A lot! I would say I’m more creative and she was more patient, for sure. We both have our own strengths and weaknesses, but just trying to raise kids who are really kind adults, and self-sufficient, and not turning them into entitled brats pretty much comes from my mom.”
Moving to America from a poor, war-torn country came with feelings of guilt, culture shock, and a language barrier, but Kristina points out that her mom was steadfast and told her to be who she was and to be grateful. Those words have carried her through her own journey of becoming a United States citizen and pursuing her personal goals.
“My mom was loving and strict with rules, and she followed through with fairness,” Kuzmic beamed. “I really appreciate her and I hear her voice in my head sometimes when I’m parenting.”
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"You know, we pretty much have everything we need to pursue our dreams. We have it; it’s within us."
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