Evanston, Ill. – One lucky mom and one lucky dad will be soon headed for a relaxing getaway in Jamaica after iParenting.com community members voted them the Mom and Dad of the Year.

Members voted Pam LaRoche, a self-employed mother of three girls from Park City, Utah, whose husband suddenly died during her third pregnancy, iParenting.com's 2003 Mom of the Year. “What an honor!" said LaRoche. "All of us moms work so hard, and to be recognized for being one of the best is simply incredible. Being a mom is the most difficult, but most rewarding job there is, and I feel very blessed to have been given the patience, perseverance, strength and guidance to do this job so well."

LaRoche won a trip to the Franklyn D. Resort, an all-suite, all-inclusive deluxe family resort in Jamaica.

A working father of three boys from Katy, Texas, John Nixon, is iParenting.com's 2003 Dad of the Year. "This is awesome," says Nixon. "I certainly do not feel as if I have done something more than any other father would do in raising his children, but am grateful for this wonderful award. While being named 'Dad of the Year' is way cool, actually being Dad is what I enjoy the most. iParenting is a great Web site for me to find other dads who enjoy their families. My children are the reason for everything I do in life."

Nixon won a trip to FDR Pebbles, an all-suite, all-inclusive deluxe family resort in Jamaica.

Each month, iParenting.com spotlights a mom and dad who editors feel are great examples of what parenting all about. iParenting.com community members vote from among all of the moms and dads of the month over the past year. LaRoche was the December 2002 Mom of the Month, and Nixon was the May 2002 Dad of the Month.

"At iParenting.com, we believe it is vitally important to recognize outstanding parents," says Elisa Ast All, MSJ, editor-in-chief of iParenting Media. “Parenting is the toughest job with the least recognition, so we shine the spotlight on deserving moms and dads every month, and let our readers decide who is the best of the best.”

iParenting Media provides a wide range of content on parenting, women's health and lifestyle through five national print magazines – Pregnancy, Baby Years, Women's Health & Fitness, Pregnancy Buyer's Guide and European Homes & Gardens – and through its Internet community, iParenting.com. iParenting.com is the Internet's premiere network community of more than 40 Web sites for parents and parents-to-be. In addition, iParenting produces a syndicated newspaper column and a radio show titled Points on Parenting. The iParenting network has won numerous awards including a ranking as “Best of the Web” by US News & World Report, Newsweek and The London Times. Learn more about the company at www.iParentingMedia.com.

Editor's Note: To read LaRoche's story, visit http://iparenting.com/mom/1202.htm. To read Nixon's story, visit http://iparenting.com/dad/0502.htm. Photos available upon request.