Mother of 3 voted ‘Best Mom in Maricopa’

Out of a remarkable array of Maricopa mothers, Nicole Perkins was chosen Best Mom in Maricopa for 2020 in the annual contest hosted by InMaricopa.

Nominated by her youngest child, Perkins said her reaction to winning were feelings of awkwardness.

“I just don’t like any competition especially when it involves other moms,” she said. “I just don’t think one is better than the other. I know some of the other moms personally and I think they are such good women, such good women.”

She was just a teenager when she first became a mother. Nicole and her family moved to Maricopa from Virginia about six years ago when her then-husband received a promotion that sent him to Chandler. However, he passed away about a year later, leaving Nicole to raise three young children.

Recently, in October, to be exact, she married again to Tristan Perkins.

Delilah Dunn, 12 (almost 13), heard her mother mention the contest and decided to nominate her.

“It made me cry because I didn’t know. She has her own email,” Nicole said. “She was sitting on the stairs doing it.”

Then Delilah let her proofread the nomination before she sent it.

“It’s a very ‘happy Mom’ moment,” Nicole said.

In the nomination, Delilah said she was impressed her mother could deal with three teenagers, a dog, three cats and 13 rats without losing her mind.

“I love living with my mom and couldn’t ask for a better one,” Delilah wrote. “She makes my life fun and shows positivity but will tell you the truth. She’s the mom everyone wants to have.”

In person, Delilah cheekily added, “She’s an independent woman who also has a slight bit of psychopath, as any woman does.”

Her older daughter, Selena, 16, called her mom compassionate. “She’s really independent and really strong,” Selena said.

“She’s a great mom,” said son Aiden, 14.

Perkins received online voting support from a large circle of family and friends. That included a large online group of widows.

Nicole’s former mother-in-law chimed in for her, too. “She deserves this. She is a phenomenal mom who has been through so much,” Lorraine Hernaez wrote.

Perkins received about $1,500 in prizes from local businesses.

In second place was another mother facing great challenges, Zulema Avis. Nominated by Kristina Petrides, she is the mother of three, homeschooling two boys during the pandemic. Since January she has been battling cancer and has a dozen more rounds of chemotherapy ahead of her. For all that, she remains upbeat.

“She’s an incredible mother who has always put her children first even in the hardest times,” Petrides wrote. “She is a huge advocate for her boys and she has helped them thrive. She is kind, compassionate and an overall wonderful person who more than deserves this honor.”

In third place was Kristi Marcus, nominated by husband Kevin and daughter Khloe. Balancing family, church and school, she received big support from all three.

“Kristi works so hard for our family, and when she doesn’t have any left to give, she still outshines anyone I know,” Kevin Marcus wrote. “Kristi is loving, caring, kind, compassionate, supportive, loyal, giving and goes above and beyond in everything she does. Words cannot express the love that overflows from Kristi’s life.”

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Learn about all the amazing moms nominated this year on Contests page.