Meet the Mom -Sabra

Name: Sabra Kirkpatrick

Where did you grow up:
I grew up on the north end of the island of Palm Beach. I loved every second of my childhood in Palm Beach!

Town you live in now:
I live in West Palm Beach and have my entire adult life.

Why you love living there:
I have been living in either the town of Lake Clarke Shores or the City of West Palm Beach since I graduated college in 2000. I’ve basically lived in a 5 mile radius most of my 41 years on this planet.

Tell me about your kids:
I have three very strong willed and very different children. My oldest son, Keegan, is a junior at Cardinal Newman High School and is into creating computer programs and building computers from the ground up. He has the best group of friends any parent could dream up. I’d bet my life on the fact that at 17 years young, he has already made the best friends of entire life and that his crew will be together forever. Thankfully, Keegan is over the high school “I-hate-my-parents-hump.” I think he is back to liking me and trusting me (or at least he is better at faking it than his 9th grade sister). Reese, my only daughter and my middle child, is smart as a whip and drop dead gorgeous. She literally excels at everything she tries. Reese is a straight ‘A’ student and actually CARES about her GPA (unlike my boys). She is a natural beauty and is currently a freshmen at Cardinal Newman High School and testing my every parenting-nerve. (We shall get through these high school years, some how, some way). My youngest son, Ty, is 10 years old and is in the 5th grade. He attends St. Juliana Catholic School and literally only cares about sports. NO OTHER INTERESTS. Just sports. His first word was “ball” and I’m pretty sure his second word was “base-ball.” This kid wakes up to an ESPN alarm clock daily, knows every stat of every current player (depending on the season) and goes to school ONLY because he can play sports after school, not because he cares about learning. Even when he is sick, he tries to fake feeling well so that he doesn’t have to miss school so that he can play baseball or basketball after school. (In our house, you have to go to school to be able to play sports after school). Three wildly different children who make me whole!

Favorite things to do with the kids locally:
Since my children’s ages range from 10 years old to 17 years old, we don’t often have one interest that we collectively do together. Reese and I love to watch Ty play baseball so she regularly joins me at his games. (Ty is on numerous travel baseball teams so we can watch him any given weekend, year-round). Keegan is a foodie and loves to try new restaurants. Similarly, Reese is really into checking out new restaurants, their scene(s)/ vibe(s) etc and ultimately likes knowing where I go to dinner with friends. We often get dressed up and try new restaurants together. We definitely do a decent amount of “date-nights.” Together, I would say we enjoy Saturday’s at the GreenMarket, Downtown WPB. Keegan works at the GreenMarket most Saturdays and the other two join me on a bike ride or a run/ walk to the GreenMarket for lunch with Keegan.

What’s your ‘day job’? How did you get started with it?
My “day-job” is really a 24/7 job. I am a Realtor and I am also the Sales Manager for Brown Harris Stevens (a Palm Beach real estate firm). What that means is that I sell real estate to both buyers and sellers alike but I also run the office and train new Realtors. I sell up to 100 homes a year with approximately $65,000,000 in sales volume, annually. I work a lot! A LOT- A LOT! BUT- I love what I do. I really do! I’m basically addicted to buying and selling property. I live for finding the perfect place for my buyers and selling at the right price for my sellers. It’s the perfect “job” for me because it allows me to balance work and children while making my own schedule. Additionally, the sales manager gig allows me to teach newer Realtors the business and how to succeed. My favorite work moments are when new Realtors “get-it” and start becoming successful on their own. Its magical!

I got into real estate by default. In 2009, eleven years ago and a very bad time in the economy, I was pregnant with my now 10 year old Ty. In truth, I wasn’t the bread winner 11 years ago and my career was somewhat irrelevant. I was a part-time employee and a full-time stay-at-home Mom to two children with a third on the way. In the blink of an eye, my world changed when my then husband, fell ill. Not to bore you with the specific details or sadden the mood, but I literally had to become the breadwinner overnight and become the only employed adult in the household while taking care of three children, on my own. At the time, Real Estate was the only career I could think that would allow me to take off time, when the children needed me and would give me the flexibility to pick them up from school at 3PM or to take them to their doctors appointments etc. It just made sense. It had to work or else we weren’t going to eat and we could lose the roof over our heads. Thankfully, it did work and I worked well in real estate. We were a match made in heaven. A perfect mix for my family! Praise God- I needed a miracle and I was given just that!

What is your best parenting advise. Lay it on us.
DO NOT TRY TO BE YOUR KIDS BEST FRIEND. Quite frankly, I don’t care if my kids like me or not. (They can attest to this). They will appreciate me when they are older. I was not put on the planet to get their approval. I was however put on this planet to make sure they are healthy, safe, contributing members of society with kindness in their hearts and functioning brains in their heads! I’m sure many of you have seen my vape videos or tutorials… (If not, they are out there on the world wide web and I’m sure you can track them down on Facebook or YouTube). Anyway, my children are not angels. I wasn’t an angel either and my apples didn’t fall far from their mother’s tree. My older two have tested me more than I would like and have also been caught partaking in activities I don’t find to be safe and/ or age appropriate. Early on I discovered the power of the Internet and even more so, the power of telling the masses my kids mistakes. I hold my kids accountable for their actions and if they chose to be inconsiderate young adults or in the case of the vape-videos, try something that is harmful to their bodies, I will expose them and their actions to the world. My first vape video went viral and had over 1 million views (including every student, teacher and parent from their high school, Cardinal Newman). Lets just say that I got my point across and the vaping stoped (for a while anyway).

What do you do for self care?
Self care is a problem for me, like it is for most Moms. We Moms always seem to put everyone else’s needs and wants above our own. Its a hard battle to fight but with age, and aging children, I have learned that I need Sabra-time, daily. The one thing that I try to do for just-me, every single day, is exercise, ALONE. Exercise is time away from my business. Time away from my children. Time away from my partner and my friends. Time away from the madness and time alone in my own head. My 30-year-old-self would have told you differently but it turns out, I am a better person with some quiet time, daily. I prefer running, alone. I actually crave it and I think I yearn for it so much because it is a complete mind, body and spirit release for me. I take between 1-2 hours every morning to run or walk outside, ALONE. I truly look forward to my daily runs or walk and sometimes I day dream about where my next outdoor run will take place.

Anything else you want to share?
I would like everyone to know that it took a lot of men and women to get me to where I am today. I did not become a successful Mom or businesswoman, alone. I did not build my company solamente. Early on, it took courage having to ask for help, money and guidance. It took swallowing my pride (many times) hearing “NO!” over and over again. It took crocodile tears (more times than I can count) when I felt the shame in not being able to attend my sons baseball game or my daughters gymnastic recital. It took my Mom covering my Mom-duties and my Dad covering every father duty my children have ever needed. It still takes my “team” Lauren Greaves and Sarah Koenig to get me through the day answering emails, phone calls and setting up appointments all while making me laugh. Building a thriving business and a successful “modern” family took a lot of people and a lot grit! I am blessed with the friends, family and clients God has given me. Extremely blessed!