I’ve noticed so much attention on Michelle Obama, being named  one of the 30 women selected as Mothers of the Year.

The magazine Working Mother ,  also picked a teacher, a scientist, a banker, and the one and only Theresa Heaney!

TAMPA – Terri Heaney followed in her mother’s footsteps 20 years ago when she volunteered to raise money for All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg.

“You never know when you will have to have help,” Heaney reasoned.

Three years ago, the single mother found herself needing that help when her son, Matthew, was diagnosed with autism.

The 40-year-old Wal-Mart manager didn’t wallow in self-pity. She embraced her son’s challenges and learned to work through them while spending two decades climbing the career ladder from cashier to personnel manager — and she continued her charity work. Last fall, she raised nearly $9,000 for a playground for special needs children at Seven Oaks Elementary in Wesley Chapel, where her son is a first-grader.

Her dedication earned Heaney a coveted award this month as one of Working Mother magazine’s “30 Working Mothers of the Year.”

“Theresa doesn’t shy away from a struggle, whether it’s getting the best care for her son, helping families affected by this disease find support, or negotiating the needs of managers and hourly employees at Wal-Mart …,” the magazine’s editors gushed.

Usually only one mom wins each year, but the magazine wanted to do something special this year to celebrate its 30-year anniversary.

Heaney will fly to New York City on May 8 for a ceremony and dinner. Her mom, Joyce Vanermine, nominated her for the award.

“I just admire her for all she does,” says Vanermine, 64, a retired administrative assistant who shares her home with Heaney and helps care for Matthew. His autism is “very complicated. You never know how he’s going to react to things.”

But her daughter always responds the same way. “”She has that patience, that teaching ability,” Vanermine says. “And a tremendous faith in God, that God is going to show her the way.”

How does Heaney manage it all?

“It’s difficult,” the Dade City mom admits. “Every day is a learning curve. You have to find balance.”
That means giving equal weight and value to all aspects of your life – at home, work and in the community, she says.

And learning to let go of the guilt.

“For mothers, guilt can be a big issue,” Heaney told the magazine. “Am I doing enough? Am I everything? Am I everywhere everyone needs me to be?”

She suggests finding a good support network, like Heaney did with her mom, who as a divorcee worked outside the home, raised four children and still had time to volunteer.

Be thankful this isn’t 30 years ago, both women say, when businesses weren’t as concerned about families.

“I think in a lot of respects it has gotten easier,” Heaney says. “It’s gotten better for us.”

Researcher Michael Messano contributed to this report. Reporter Sherri Ackerman

Does the First Lady deserve the award of Mother of the Year?  Your honest opinion