What led me to this interview: Remember growing up and seeing families that had older kids, and thinking they were the coolest ever? The Gogel family was that for me. The two oldest boys in the family were a big deal in our town because they were exceptional golfers and their little sister was involved in everything and just happened to be my favorite babysitter as a kid! Well, my observations as a kid were right on the money. The Gogel kids grew up to thrive in our world, Matt Gogel played on the PGA tour for 7 years and went on to a career as a golf commentator for the golf channel, Mike Gogel designs golf courses around the country and Erin is a mom and an occupational therapist. Their mom, Celeste, shares fascinating insights that show how important it is to as Celeste said, Champion your kids’ abilities. Celeste Gogel shared the following insights during her time Who Is Your Momma!
The Gogel house was busy and had a routine! Three kids doing activities, dad traveling often, and the family still had dinner together most nights. As the kids took part in activities there was an expectation that if they started the activity then they would finish. Celeste and her husband Tony were setting a tone of commitment.
They relied on their community in Tulsa, OK as they were raising their children. Celeste made a point to get to know her kids’ friends. She felt like that was so important to know the kids and the parents of the kids that her children were spending time with. This is a simple thing for a parent to do, but and insightful to know what your children will be exposed to while away from home.
To that point, Celeste wanted to make her home the space for kids! She wanted her kids’ friends to feel welcome and comfortable at her own house. Knowing those people who are influencing your children is crucial.
Matt and Mike Gogel were both active in golf and Erin was active in dance. They all three excelled in their activities and Celeste felt it was her role to “Champion their abilities.” That was my absolute favorite quote! It is not only saying to enable your children to thrive but CHAMPION your children. Support them, cheer them on, and show them your enthusiasm for their activities. I loved that!
One of my favorite stories from Celeste was when she was talking about checking her son’s homework in high school. She made Mike keep a journal about his school work to keep him on task and she checked for a couple of weeks and he was doing great. She stopped checking in the journal for a while and a few weeks go by and she looks back in the journal and sees that Mike is doodling sketches of golf courses. He was not doing his schoolwork, he was designing golf courses. Celeste recognized this skill in Mike, championed his abilities and today Mike is a golf course designer.
These lessons are what make up a legendary momma! I learned so much from Celeste Gogel and I will go forward championing my kids’ abilities and getting to know their friends really well! It was a joy to have Celeste on Who Is Your Momma!
