What Kids Have to Say about Mother’s Day

Talk about serendipity: The “Kids Takeover” issue coincides with Mother’s Day – an opportunity for all those hardworking moms on staff to sit back, kick their shoes off, relax, and let the kids do all the work.

Hahaha! Okay, but seriously, this is one of the most fun issues of the year, and one of the most meaningful celebrations of the year, so let’s see what happens when we mix them up.

I checked in with three of my grandkids, who are always game for a little Q&A with Granma. Zeke is 7, Brody is 8, and Briley just turned 12 – a combined 27 years of experience in observing their respective mothers!

We started with the basics: What IS Mother’s Day, anyway? Brody had the best answer: “It’s kinda like a birthday for Moms.” (But will there be cake?!?)

Asked why Moms rate a special day dedicated just to them, Zeke responded, “Because they got you out of their stomach.” Well, he’s not wrong; that’s a good reason to celebrate, all right.

But now it was time to get down to serious business. The kids were asked what their mothers do, specifically, to rate a day on the pedestal. According to Zeke, his mother “used to rock me,” but those days are gone. Now, “She does the dishes and that’s all.”

Brody, perhaps thinking back on a long winter season of strep throat and flu, had a ready answer: “Whenever I’m sick, she stays home and takes care of me.”

Briley was a little more observant: “Mom gets me food and gets me stuff like clothes. She also helps me with stuff like homework. When I come home from school and I have math and I don’t really understand, she comes and helps me. She’s okay at math but she helps me start to think about it and we look back at the video my math teacher posts.”

When pressed for more specific examples of things their mothers have done to make them happy, Zeke came through with shining colors: “One time she got me a Taco Hot Wheels car. She loves me and I love her. I like to spend time with her.”

Brody said his favorite thing about his mother is that “she surprises me. She takes me somewhere and she plays with me.”

Briley gave her mother credit for her kitchen skills: “She makes really good food, like her five-cheese ziti.”

All three children are convinced they have the best Mom in the world. Zeke’s explanation was simple: “She is gooder than daddy.” (Sorry, Dad.)

Brody rattled off a list of his own: “Because she is kind and because of all the stuff she can do, like cook and drive me places. She is always nice to me.”

Briley expanded on that thought, saying her mother is “nice to everyone. She is kind, loving, happy and hard-working. She teaches me how to cook.” Although Briley hasn’t mastered five-cheese ziti yet, she said, “I’ve learned how to make ramen noodles on the stove. I’ve also learned how to make brownies and cookies by myself. She taught me what measuring cups I need to use and how much I need of everything and how to turn the oven on.”

All three kids gave credit to their moms for their dedication to their careers … even if they weren’t exactly sure what their mothers do for a living. Briley, however, had this observation about her mother, a special education teacher: “She’s very kind. She is always helping the kids at school even if it’s hard. Most people won’t do her job so she knows she has to work hard for them.”

And all three have their own ideas about how they plan to show their mothers how much they are loved and appreciated.

Zeke has committed himself to “doing the dishes, folding laundry, cleaning my toys, feeding the dogs and brushing my teeth without being told to.”

Brody will keep it simple: “Surprise her with a gift.”

Briley will put her love into action: “I will help her clean the house and tidy it up, give her a note and tell her that she’s good, and just tell her that we love her.”

They may not realize it, but when asked if they had anything else to say, these kids’ final remarks turned out to be the best gifts they could ever give to their mothers.

Zeke – whose mother always tells him he is her favorite little boy – said, “She’s my favorite little momma … and I’m going to be taller than her one day.”

Brody said, “I’m going to give my Mom hugs and kisses.”

And Briley said, “When I grow up, I want to be as kind as her.”

So Happy Mother’s Day to all you Moms out there. Put your feet up, relax, and let the kids take over … returning the love you show them every day of the year.