Leavin’ On a Jet Plane

We wear many hats throughout the course of our lives. In a single day, I may be a lawyer, wife, mother, sister, boss, and more. My role as a partner at Owen, Patterson & Owen, handling personal injury cases for injured victims, governs most waking hours. But my role as a mother is who I am, deep in the very heart of me.
Last month, my husband and I, two of the three partners of OPO, took our youngest child to college to the University of Colorado at Boulder. Our 18-year old daughter was eager to start her college life. She heard stories from her siblings about dorms, Greek life, classes, and traditions, and she was eager to begin her experience. With my laptop and cellphone, I didn’t miss a beat. After working remotely for the past five months, I responded to emails, managed the office, advised clients, appeared remotely in court (as is now required) and met deadlines.
I moved my daughter into the dorm, made it look “Pinterest-acceptable,” and settled down for a few days in case she needed anything. Two days later, my daughter did not know if she wanted to stay.
It was nearly impossible to leave my daughter in Boulder, but I knew that it was the right thing to do. There may be a time that the school closes and becomes online only like so many other colleges have already done. But I had to remember another hat that I once wore—that of a law student. I remembered that gray morning when this Southern California girl was dropped off in San Francisco to begin law school. There was no pandemic, but it was a very different time. The Internet did not exist. Alone, without a car, TV, or cell phone, in a new place, I didn’t want to be there. But I had to figure it out. And I did. My girl knows we are here for her, but she needed to give it a chance. Now she loves it.
We are always there for family, and we are always here for you. Call us at 661-799-3899 or email us at info@owenpatterson.com.