A Light In This World: That is exactly what Renee is to her family and many others

Renee Babcock loves the finer things in life and has an extreme attention to detail, and both these things and many more have helped shape her into the amazing wife and mother she is today.

Born in Lapeer, Michigan, Renee met her husband Dave back in high school. They got married once Dave graduated from college, and 32 years later they are still going strong.

Renee gave birth to three children – Joel (30), Justin (28) and Lauren (24) – and has proved time and time again she will do anything and everything for them. She is a most outstanding wife, mother and friend, and the Babcock clan all looks up to Renee in all they do.

For Renee, it is all about loving and supporting each other. Family is her number one priority and they are who she lives for, and she has certainly made a lasting impression on all three of her children’s lives.

“My mom was always there for everything,” Justin said. “When life goes on, you realize what she was doing that you never really appreciated. I’ve learned to appreciate what she was doing in keeping us disciplined and helping to make us successful.”

Many times, when kids are growing up, they don’t realize the support and subsequent discipline brought on by their parents is for their own good. This is exactly the way Renee’s children feel, as they now realize she wanted nothing but the best for them.

And now that they are all grown up and successful, they can look back and just say, “Thank you.” They would not be where they are without their mother, and they and Dave all know this.

“She’s been a passionate mother,” Dave said. “Her kids have always been the most important to her. She would do anything to help them have a better life than what she had. Not just things. It was important to her to have the family together. To raise them together. While she may have been a little (a lot) controlling, it was all for what she thought was best. All of our kids are grown and out of the house now. She misses them and at times wishes everyone could come home and just everyone sleep in and have a pajama day.”

The love and compassion she poured out onto her children certainly paid off, and all the mothering Renee did for her children does not go unappreciated or unnoticed.

The morals and values Renee possesses have also been ingrained and instilled in her children’s minds, and they know the life lessons she spent years teaching them are remembered and carried on to this very day.

“She always likes to teach the value of work ethic,” Lauren said. “If you work hard you can do anything. She believes in us. If we don’t believe, she will believe in us.”

You are capable of doing anything you set your mind to, and this is something Renee certainly realizes. She pushed her children to reach for the stars and set achievable goals. Their dreams were never far out of reach because they had a mother who cared so much and who helped them believe in themselves.

She has the ability to bring out the best in everyone, and this not only includes her children, but her husband as well. Day in and day out Renee has been a steady presence in her husband’s life, and her children have always noticed the way she looks at him.

“She always pushes people to be their best self,” Lauren said. “Dad probably got to where he is because of her. He sets high expectations, and that’s because of her. ‘Behind every successful man is a good woman’ definitely applies to her.”

Dave reached many of his goals and dreams because of his wife’s unending support, and he knows she reached so many of her goals and dreams as well. She got to raise the family she always wanted to have, and Renee also got to work a job she genuinely enjoyed.

Renee worked for many years as a hairstylist, and that matched her personality for many reasons. She had a knack for striving for perfection and wanting to get things right all the time, but she is also very much a people person. She interacted well with all her clients, and there were days she would bring her kids to work with her and they would see how much their mom truly cared.

“She has a lot of attention to detail and is detail-oriented,” Joel said. “Mom was very friendly in the workplace. She’ll tell you if she doesn’t like something.”

Renee is upfront and honest about many things as well. She does not like to beat around the bush and prefers to just tell it like it is.

She was never one to settle or sit still either, and this benefitted her children for many reasons. One of these reasons was the fact that they were blessed with the opportunity to go on many vacations and adventures. Renee has always been about getting out and doing things as a family, and the Babcocks were afforded many opportunities to do just that.

“I enjoyed the spring break vacations,” Joel said. “I remember going out on the boat in the summer as a kid. We would also go walking in the woods.”

While the activities varied, the good times were always rolling. The memories are priceless, and getting to do things with their mother all the time made these adventures and excursions that much more enjoyable.

Getting to have their mom in the stands cheering for them was also something that brought Renee’s kids a lot of enjoyment and appreciation, and they are glad they got to experience that as well.

“She was always there for sporting events,” Justin said. “A lot of times we were just hanging out, playing games and doing family things together. Simple stuff like that.”

While there are many vacations to look back on, it was the less extravagant things that the kids will always be super appreciative of. While they know their mother is a sucker for the finer things, they are suckers for any sort of family time.

Renee should be proud of this, as she has done her job as a mom. She has created a life filled with memories and wanting to be around family at all times, and her children and husband love her for this.

“I would like to let Renee know that she is, and always has been, everything to me. I live for her happiness. Just love. Let’s keep it simple. Just love each other. Just love our family. Just love every part of our family as it grows. A whole new chapter of our story is yet to be written, and I’m looking forward to it.” – Dave

“I love her and can’t wait to see what next Mother’s Day brings.” – Joel

“Mom’s always appreciated. Everything she was willing to do back then. Making sure we were accountable. She was always there.” – Justin

“Enjoy the moment and be yourself. When she is in the moment, she is the brightest thing in the room. Sometimes she can get caught up in the past. Be that light. That’s something I always like to see.” – Lauren