By GLENN KAHL
209 reporter
The Bulletin
Two Ripon moms — both community service officers — plan to spend Mothers’ Day with their children on the beach in Monterey as well as at the Aquarium.
Christian Caro and Liz Forks work similar tasks at the Ripon Police Department. Both take on overtime, occasionally dispatching calls for both Ripon and Escalon police.
Caro has been with the department for 10 years working 40-plus hours a week with 12 hour shifts and Forks having similar tenure with the Ripon PD.
Caro’s two children Aidan 5, and Silas, 2, spend their days with their grandmother Judy Esquivel.
“I’m blessed to have a mother-in-law who takes care of them while I am able to work,” she said. “They love her cooking and love being at Grandma’s house sometimes more than with us.”
She noted that their grandmother often cares for her husband’s much younger aunt and uncle — being the youngest in his family — with the one sibling only in the second grade.
Caro said she and her oldest son Adan like to play “Mom’s Chase” chasing around in the outside near their home.
“He’s in his second year of T-ball and that keeps us pretty busy — like tonight he has practice and hopes he can play as pitcher,” Caro said. “He knows he will get more action as pitcher because most hits stay in the infield.”
His mom said she played baseball all throughout her school years and beyond.
Hopefully my boys like it as much as I did,” she said.
s for the beginning of their day, “I usually get up between 4:30 and 5 a.m. and my husband is out the door at 5:30. The kids are up between 6 and 6:30 and that’s when the fun begins: getting them dressed for the day and feeding them breakfast. They love to have cinnamon rolls, waffles, cereal, and eggs while I am trying to get ready for work myself — then packing lunches for my son in kindergarten — a very intelligent boy. I am shocked by what they learn today in kindergarten. It’s no longer just coloring, staying within the lines and saying don't eat the paste like when I was in kindergarten,” she said.
As for the upcoming Mothers’ Day, “My husband asked me what I wanted. I told him I didn’t need anything. We may go to Monterey and spend time on the beach and go to the Aquarium. As long as the kids have fun and we create some memories — that’s all I want.”
CSO Liz Forks is a single mother and her life is dedicated to her 10-year-old daughter Maddyn.
The police community service officer said she gets up mornings about 4 a.m. She gets herself ready for work before getting Maddyn out of bed and makes sure she gets everything done — homework, and getting dressed for school and sitting down for a favorite breakfast.
Cereal, oatmeal and waffles along with French toast are her favorites.
Her “absolute favorite” for breakfast is bacon and cinnamon rolls, according to her mom, who said she tries to keep her diet healthy and gives her only turkey bacon.
For fun, we go shopping and get our nails done together. It’s hard to find time with school. We both like to go to Starbucks with her first choice being Carmel Frapachinos with extra caramel — a sticky no-no with her braces — but I make her brush her teeth afterwards,” Forks said. “You can't take away all their joy.”
She attends fifth grade at Weston Elementary School and her mom works police dispatch on swing shift once or twice a month.
And what do Liz and Christina talk about at work? Obviously it’s their kids.
Forks said she calls her daughter, “My Little Miss Sunshine!”
To contact Glenn Kahl, email gkahl@mantecabulletin.com.
