This issue of Stroll Historic Brookhaven (SHB) is dedicated to all the mothers in our neighborhood, whether working, stay-at-home, empty nester, grandmother, step, or single mother. SHB talked to three Historic Brookhaven moms about ways they celebrate Mother’s Day, the impact their own mothers had on their parenting, their favorite things about being a mom, and more. Read on and meet our moms. Happy Mother’s Day!

 

 Mallory Atkinson, mother to Nolan (3) and fraternal twins Lane and Rhys (11 months) 

As a mom of three young children, Mallory Atkinson has relished the opportunity to continue some of the traditions from her youth with her own children. For example, every morning since their now four-year-old son Nolan was a baby, Mallory and her husband Dustin have entered his room singing “Good Morning” from the movie Singing in the Rain.

 

“Just as my parents did with me when I was little,” she says, adding that now Nolan joins in to wake his twin baby sisters Lane and Rhys (11 months old).

 

Mallory has also made it a habit to repeat a phrase her father used with her all the time. “’Have I told you lately [pause] how much I love you?’ I repeat this to my own children today and am reminded of my dad and how incredibly loved and cared for he made us feel,” she notes. Now, whenever Mallory says it to Nolan, he exclaims: “No, I love YOU more!”

 

She is thankful for the loving family and memories her parents created, and says she hopes her children will look back on their childhoods as fondly one day. Despite being a working mom of three girls, Mallory says her mother never seemed stressed. “We were blissfully unaware and had every opportunity to succeed in life because of her and my dad,” notes Mallory. “They were parents first and foremost before being friends.”

 

Mallory grew up in Alpharetta and is still tight with her family. She, her husband and children, parents, and sisters and their families all take an island vacation together over the Christmas and New Year’s holiday period. It started when Mallory and her sisters were high-school and college age, and continues today even as the number of grandchildren has reached nine.

 

It’s more than just big trips she hopes will bring extended family together. “Ensuring all of our kids are given the opportunity to spend as much time together as the routine nature of everyday life will permit is important to us,” she notes.

 

As a busy young mom, Mallory, who works at Salesforce as account manager for US Airways, realizes time’s preciousness. “At the end of each day, if I have done nothing more than spend meaningful time with my family at home doing the mundane, then I am grateful beyond measure,” she says.

The Atkinsons have lived in Historic Brookhaven on Angelo Court since April 2023. Nolan attends The Preschool at Peachtree Road United Methodist Church, and plays T-ball at Northside Youth Organization (NYO) and tennis at Capital City Club. Each night at bedtime, the family prays together and reads books in their special reading chair.

 

When asked her favorite memory of Mother’s Day, Mallory speaks of those with her own mom and sisters. She recalls listening to music and dancing poolside all day, baking a cake and trying a new recipe for Mother’s Day dinner, and crafting a signature cocktail for her mom. “Days like this made for some of our best Mother’s Day memories together,” she says.

 

Lanier Barnes has lots of experience with children, her own grown daughters as well as the kids she teaches in Pre-K at St. James Preschool. She has three pieces of advice to parents: start teaching your kids kindness to others at a young age, read with them every night, and find a way to spend one-on-one time with each child whenever you can.

 

When twins Erin and Caroline were born 26 years ago, Lanier and her husband Todd recognized it would be important to spend time alone with each child. Haley, their oldest, was five and in kindergarten. While a big help, Lanier and Todd realized Haley should also feel important outside her role as a big sister.

 

So, they divided and conquered, making sure Haley got separate time with each parent. If Haley was off with friends, Lanier and Todd tried to each take one of the twins and do something with them individually.

 

She and Todd read to their girls each night. “It instills the love of reading and books in them,” she says. At Christmastime, they would read two books a night from their large collection.

 

Haley is now 33 years old, a stay-at-home mother to 19-month-old William, and pregnant with another boy who is due in July. She and her husband Matt Gibson live in Waycross, GA. Caroline works as a photographer in Atlanta and Erin is a civil engineer in Athens, a city near and dear to her mother’s heart. Lanier was born in Athens, graduated from the University of Georgia, and is a “true dawg fan!”

 

Lanier started working as a preschool teacher 20 years ago. When her twins were students at St. James, Lanier was an active member of the parent board. Then she started substitute teaching and eventually became a regular preschool teacher. She plans to retire this month. Todd is still working, but they will travel when they can. Lanier also looks forward to spending more time with her grandchildren.

 

The Barnes have been married for 35 years and lived in Club Forest for 28 of those years. They have a cat named Phil and three chickens.

 

For Mother’s Day, the family usually goes out to lunch. Lanier’s favorite thing to do with her girls is hang out at their Atlanta home or house on Lake Burton. At the lake, they enjoy boating, hiking around Moccasin Creek, and walking along their two-mile circular dirt road. When in Historic Brookhaven, it’s “really just being together,” says Lanier.

 

Another favorite holiday tradition is decorating Christmas cookies. “We have quite the competition,” notes Lanier.

 

 

For Heather Williams, Mother’s Days usually begin with her family bringing her breakfast in bed and continue with the family enjoying an outdoor activity together. Through the years, they have hiked along the Chattahoochee River, biked the beltline, and played tennis and pickleball as well as spent time at kid sporting events.

 

Her favorite Mother’s Day memory, however, is one from her own childhood when she and her two sisters brought her mother breakfast in bed. “It consisted of a single cornflake with a drop of milk in a small cordial glass,” she says, adding that she always laughs when remembering that day.

 

Heather, her husband Jeff, and their three children (Carter, 21, Abby, 18, and Luke, 16) have lived in Club Forest for 11 years. Heather, who was born in Texas, has a master’s in counseling psychology and worked a variety of jobs from probation officer to college recruiter before becoming a stay-at-home mom when Carter was born. “I discovered being at home with my kids is what I was meant to do,” she says.

 

The Williams are a close family. They love to play tennis and pickleball together and matches can get competitive. “The kids love beating their parents!,” Heather notes. They enjoy taking bicycling vacations and have cycled together through Vermont, France, and Spain, as well as in closer locations like Amelia Island.

 

Heather also regularly volunteers with her kids at Intown Cares, a food pantry serving intown Atlanta. She serves as team mom for Luke’s St. Pius X Catholic High School varsity boys tennis team and the two serve together at Special Pops Tennis, a program that helps individuals with disabilities enjoy tennis. For six years, she taught Sunday School at Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Church. “Volunteering alongside my kids is a rewarding way to spend time together,” she says.

 

Music is another family activity. Heather will play piano while Abby and Luke play guitar and sing. Heather says she teases them by asking to make beautiful music together. “Very cringy, I know, but that’s the point,” she notes.

 

As well as playing music with her kids, Heather listens to their favorite artists and watches their favorite television shows. She says being interested in things they love makes it easier to relate and stay in touch as her children have grown older. She isn’t uncomfortable asking what others might consider embarrassing or probing questions about their friends. “It’s a way of showing I am interested in all aspects of their lives,” she says. “I never know what they might open up about.”

 

She sends The Sopranos or Breaking Bad memes to Carter, who is a junior studying engineering at Virginia Tech. “I originally watched those shows because he loved them so much and his impersonations were hilarious,” she says. “I ended up loving the shows, too. Now there’s always a funny meme to share for any situation.” Abby is also away at school; she is a freshman at the University of Georgia and studying to be a speech therapist. Luke is a junior at St. Pius and has been touring colleges.

 

For birthdays, Heather always makes each child’s favorite dinner: chicken divan. It was also her favorite birthday dinner when she was growing up and she uses her mom’s recipe.

 

Heather lost her mother in February after a six-year battle with Alzheimer’s. This Mother’s Day will be her first without her mom. “She fiercely loved her daughters and her grandchildren,” Heather notes. “She knew how to be both super silly and super supportive.” Heather plans to toast her mom with a mimosa on Sunday, May 12, as they did in person on many previous Mother’s Days.