Terry Dismore is Calling All Parents

Terry Dismore talked mother-to-mother with me the other day and I could immediately hear why she’s been attuned to such success as a mother. Her voice is direct, kind, and rings true. It is clear that this has also made her successful as a teacher, mentor and motivational encourager (ME).

As a mom for more than 30 years, Dismore has three grown children, with the youngest 27. But that doesn’t stop her proactive parental relationship.

“My kids understand the concept of family,” she says. “I send a link to them every day with pictures or inspiring quotes. My kids ask me for advice and my oldest calls me every day.”

Terry Dismore

That’s the pinnacle of a parenting career for any mom, especially when Dismore had to overcome the loss of two children within five months of pregnancy. Originally from New York, Dismore worked as a healthcare administrator at a prestigious New York hospital before she gave birth to her two children and realized her career calling was more closely bonded to motherhood. She went on to earn a master’s degree in elementary education and a New York state certification in education administration.

“Nothing was out there on parenting when I was a mom,” says Dismore. “My thesis was all about parental involvement, and I had 18 years to prove the theories I laid out in that thesis, that we need everyone involved in parenting through a community.”

As a teacher, Dismore worked to carry out the quest of her thesis, officially titled, “Parental Involvement and the Effects Linked to Academic Achievement.” It was her passion over the course of 36 years to bridge the gap between home and school by developing parent-based lectures and workshops for a diverse community.

“I guess I just always had a proclivity with education and children,” she says. That’s putting it mildly. Dismore’s educational career went beyond the classroom to focus on fostering academic excellence, as well as social development, parental involvement, empowerment, and encouragement for everyone she could.

She even published a book on her life’s mission statement, Calling All P.A.R.E.N.T.S.: Preparing Achievers Reaching Excellence Nurturing Talents Successfully. Dismore describes it as sort of a staff development resource written for parents, to properly inform them and encourage them to become responsible thinkers for the family. She knows parents work hard to provide the necessities for their family, wearing many hats, and they often neglect themselves.

“I know my readers’ education, background and cultures are all different, but the book accommodates everyone,” says Dismore. “There’s actually a 41 percent increase in heart failure for women because of all of the pressure at home. We need to invest in ourselves. My main job has always been to raise my kids because I don’t want to leave them alone in a world like this.”

And in a world today that’s so connected to technology, she thinks parents give too much leniency when it comes to devices.

“Nothing takes the place of time. Time equals love and love equals time,” says Dismore. “You spend 192,000 hours raising your children, so we are our most positive commodities. One of my biggest pet peeves is seeing parents on their phones all the time. You need to look them in their eyes at dinner time!”

As a reflection of her authority on the topic, Dismore has appeared on a parenting edition of “20/20”; received awards for her workshop presentations; developed mentoring programs, community tutorial services, international programming for cultural awareness, museums created for children by children, and a science research program; and has provided children’s books for a library in Africa. As a certified DreamBuilder coach, she also “specializes in helping people build their dreams, accelerate their results, and live a life they love living.”

Four years ago, Dismore retired, and two years ago she moved from New York to Brunswick Forest here in Leland. But retirement hasn’t slowed down her work on her life’s mission.

“I’m an involved person and work in groups in my church and always feel that if that bottom line foundation isn’t there, then a group can’t meet their goals,” she says. “I always talk to anyone if I run into them and ask how they’re following up with their goals. ‘PON’ is what I believe in: Positivity over Negativity. I surround myself with positivity and meditate in my lanai that’s surrounded by trees and nature.”

The published author is also a member of the Writers in the Forest writers group and a Women in Networking group. In fact, she’s a keynote speaker for a women’s convention in September in Virginia. “The talk will be themed around the book, “P.A.R.E.N.T.S.,” because it’s not just a parenting book; it helps empower women,” she says.

When the retiree isn’t answering her call to help others, she does some things for herself, like line dancing, Zumba, swing dancing, traveling, putting gigantic puzzles together, meditating and reading.

“I love the forest that surrounds my home,” says Dismore. “When I’m out on the lanai and the wind blows through the trees, I love how they sway and bow.”

Visit Terry Dismore online at www.terrydcallingallparents.com.