Breathe.

Her arms swing back and her pitch is released.

A curve ball straight past the plate.

Strike one.

Kari Toalson, a junior at the time, determined to get three strikes, focuses on the batter.

Off to the side, her littlest fan cheers her on. She doesn’t hear him at first, but the familiar voice demands to be heard.

“Hey! Hey! Go Mom, go Mom! That’s my mom. Hey!”

He fuels her to push harder in softball games.

Keys to the computer click away beneath her fingers with a little laughter floating in the air.

Kari turns her attention to finishing her dual credit English essay while her mom plays with Kie behind her in another room.

Balancing school, motherhood, and extra-curricular activities is nothing new to Kari.

Multitasking, it’s something she’s become accustomed to.

Something her daily life revolves around.

But she focuses on one task at a time.

“I am proud of myself for not giving up on my school or anything else people normally do,” she said.

Her son was born the summer before freshman year, and she said she had to mature and become more responsible than she already was, and it was complicated at times.

“It was a big challenge being 14 and a mom,” she said. “You don’t hear it that often, and usually it is juniors and seniors that get pregnant.”

Now, as a senior, Kari gains responsibility and maturity as she goes on with life.

“But it wasn’t easy. He administrators at McNiel wanted me to go to Harrell,” she said. “I told them no, that I wanted to have the high school experiences, and I did not want to give everything up because I had a kid. And I am glad I got the experience while still being a mom.”

Breathe.