The first year was difficult, Tomlin said, but the children adjusted. Now 20, 24 and 25, they grew up with a distinction she knew from her own upbringing: whether something was a want or a need. Tomlin was raised by a single mother, a community college professor, in a family with limited money. She said her needs were usually met, while wants often went unmet.
Tomlin said football structured family life as Mike’s career advanced. During the season, he sometimes worked 20-hour days and slept at the training complex. After each season, the family had to adjust to his return to home life; Tomlin said she had been the sole decision-maker for the children and sometimes needed to “relax, relate, and release.”
She also built a career in fashion, after making her own clothes from age 10. Today, she manufactures clothing at a factory in Pittsburgh, where all six employees are mothers. Tomlin said she is proud to offer them flexible work that supports both parenting and family finances. At 52, with her children grown and Mike retired, she said she has more freedom to explore what comes next.
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