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Mom to Mom with Julianne McGill

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Mom-to-Mom-feb25---AOP

Your husband is a 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist for Swimming, and you both swam competitively. With both of your children being active in swim, what type of support do you two offer them?

Julianne: We have talked about this a lot. Since we both swam, we didn’t want to force them to swim; we wanted to provide them an opportunity because we believe it is a great sport that builds a supportive community. They ended up loving it and choosing to do it for themselves. Tyler isn’t their main coach at the moment, so we encourage them to talk to their coaches and focus on being positive and supportive rather than corrective or suggestive. That can be harder to do since we know about the sport pretty deeply.

What values do you and Tyler prioritize in your parenting? 

Julianne: The first thing that comes to mind is giving our best effort. We emphasize they don’t have to be the best at whatever they are doing, but they do have to put their best effort into it. Another value that comes to mind that we prioritize is gratefulness – grateful for what we have been blessed with, the opportunities we are presented with, and the people around us.

How do you both work to create a positive and supportive community for your family? 

Julianne: Honestly, sports have been a big part of building our family’s community. Some of our closest friends are from our time swimming on Auburn’s team. They are kind, generous, and inclusive. There have been many times I will miss the start of a swim meet because I am traveling for work, and the families just take such great care of the girls until I get there since Tyler is coaching hard at the meets. Similarly, with Tenny’s soccer team, we love sitting on the sidelines with other parents and siblings cheering on the girls. It is fun to stay with other soccer families at an Airbnb when we travel for tournaments. I would say volunteering in your children’s activities is so important and helps connect you to others.

Your children are 11 and 7 years old. How do you handle the transition of them growing up? 

Julianne: Am I handling it? I am laughing to myself because I am kind of shocked that we have an 11- and 7-year-old. People have told us “It gets easier” and I don’t know if that is fully accurate. Maybe “it gets different” is more what they mean. New challenges arise at each stage and keeping that in perspective has been helpful for us.

What has been the most rewarding experience so far during your motherhood journey? 

Julianne: It is so rewarding to see them feel proud of themselves for working hard and achieving a goal. Amelia made Southeastern’s (a big regional swim meet) by setting a goal and chipping away at the time. She glowed with excitement when she got it! Tenny trying to be a goalie at the end-of-year tournament, blocking a penalty kick, and getting the player of the game from the other team was so fun to watch. She tried something new and was so excited to do it again! Little moments in sports give them those opportunities to give their best efforts and maybe fail, but to keep trying and shining.

What advice would you give other parents who are navigating their parenting journey? 

Julianne: My first inclination was to say enjoy it because it goes by fast, but that feels super cliché (although still true). So, I am going to say parenting is hard – it is supposed to be. If it feels too easy, you may want to assess what is going on. Keeping our kids safe, which means setting boundaries they don’t like and holding them accountable, is the most important thing to us, but also incredibly hard at times.

Also, this is important to me, maybe because of the work that I do, but keeping a focus on our marriage is really helpful for Tyler and me. First, it gives our girls an example of what prioritizing a healthy marriage looks like, and second, when Tyler and I are regularly connected, it is so clear we are fully on the same team and can better parent Amelia and Tenny.

What is one thing you want your children to remember about you?

Julianne: There is never a moment when you are not loved. I am always there if they want or need me – I have got their backs!

Rapid Fire Questions

  1. Introverted or Extroverted? Extroverted introvert
  2. Movie Buff or Book Lover? Book lover
  3. Favorite Vacation Spot? London
  4. Facebook or Instagram? Instagram
  5. Sweet or Salty? Sweet

Julianne McGill and her husband, Tyler, have been married for 13 years. They met at Auburn, where they both swam on the Swimming & Diving teams. The family enjoys attending Cornerstone Church, watching sports on TV (especially football and F1 racing), and traveling. Julianne is a clinical faculty member in the Human Development and Family Science department at Auburn University, and Tyler is the swim coach at the Opelika Sportsplex and was a 2012 USA Olympic gold medalist. They have two daughters, Amelia (11) and Tennant Lane (7).

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Mom to Mom with Julianne McGill

by Staff time to read: 3 min