THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 5, 1995 TAG: 9511030200
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Susie Stoughton
LENGTH: Medium: 78 lines
Judi Delpiero has gotten her priorities straight, she says.
She believes motherhood means milk and cookies after school - the things that make memories.
She's tired of being a working mom, tired of not being around when her son gets out of classes at Mount Zion Elementary School, tired of coming home exhausted and not having energy left for her family.
Delpiero - who also has two grown children - thinks she's found a way to be a better parent and still contribute to the household expenses. She's taken a ``leap of faith,'' she says, quitting her job at a medical office to start a part-time business from her home.
While her 7-year-old son is in school, she'll be out shopping for others who are working. She'll be running errands, addressing Christmas cards or wrapping presents for harried employees who don't have time.
``Having been out in the work force, I've heard all the gripes like, `Man, I really hate to buy the groceries,' '' she said. ``I thought to myself, `That's easy. That's something I can do.' ''
Several years ago, she read about such a business in a woman's magazine. She filed away the idea in her computer until recently, when she came across it again. It's just what she needed, she decided.
She looked around and couldn't find anything similar in Suffolk. And so, ``Services With a Smile'' was started.
Delpiero will decorate houses or yards for Christmas or other holidays, throw birthday parties for children or even assist Santa, the Easter bunny or the tooth fairy with letters for kids.
Because she's the boss, she can set her hours - 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. She can enjoy the best of both worlds, working during school hours but being home when school is out.
``I needed a job that I could fit around my need to be home for Timothy, both before and following school,'' she said.
Her old job didn't allow flexibility.
``I was (working) when my son was in kindergarten and the first grade,'' she said. ``It was hard. Mama came home tired and took it out on those who were there. That wasn't fair.''
One night, she awoke from a very deep sleep and heard a message: ``You are a mother first. Raise your son.''
She's happier now that she decided to change her direction.
``I just finally figured out that my kids are my priority,'' she said. ``They always had been, but I pushed them over to the side, sort of.''
She doesn't have to do anything special - just be there for her son.
``He's really more interested in having Mom around,'' she said. ``He just enjoys the fact that I'm here when he gets home from school now.''
Many of society's problems are the result of ``latch-key kids,'' she said. ``Children are not properly taken care of. A lot of parents have to work, but when the opportunity arises and there's an alternative, then parents ought to try it.''
She had explored other options.
``I've done the Tupperware thing and Mary Kay. And I was the Avon lady in Whaleyville for a couple of years,'' she said. ``After all, I found it wasn't fulfilling.''
This business allows her to help others as well as herself, she said. But most of all, she's available to be a better parent.
And if she can do errands for others, they'll have more quality time to spend with their families.
She has fond memories from her own childhood.
``My Mom worked at school, in the cafeteria and in the library,'' she said. ``She was home when we were home. I cherished those times - the milk and cookies, the smells that come from the kitchen. I just knew when I got home, she was there.''
She hopes someday her son will have similar memories. MEMO: ``Services With A Smile'' may be reached at 925-4563.
ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by JOHN H. SHEALLY II
Judi Delpiero's son, Timothy, helps her with a bag of groceries.
by CNB