Mother’s day letters

Welcome to May, the glorious month of graduation, recitals, academic award programs, athletic competitions and Mother’s Day.
Again this year, the El Dorado News-Times has collected and selected elementary students’ thoughts about their mothers. The first were published April 29; another set will be in this Thursday’s paper. Since we can’t publish all the essays, we have selected our favorite essays, sentences or quotes from as many students as possible.
Such as, my favorite, “I love my momma like a fat kid likes cake,” written by Shelby Nelson, Northwest Elementary School. The more reflective, “Without my mom I’m sad and lonesome,” by Rickeisha Babbs, Washington Middle School, intrigued me. It is similar to what Katie Dumas of Holy Redeemer wrote, “ My mama is the one who makes a bad day good.”
Mattie Ann Klippert, Junction City, summarized her mother’s 10 years of parenting, “If you can put up with me for that long you have to be special.”
While most students waxed eloquently about their mothers, Jasmine Howard, WMS, topped everyone with this paragraph, “My mom is a very sweet and caring person. She is like a strawberry with whipped cream. Her love is like a newborn baby just coming home with its mom and seeing the light of the day. Her loving is like Grandma’s apple pie – you can’t get enough of it. She has a smile that lights up the whole room like sun shining on a hot summer day.”
I started to quote only the second sentence of a lengthy essay written by Matt Hansen, Norphlet, but he did such an excellent job, that I elected to publish his entire essay. His essay follows:
“It is important for everyone to have a mother, stepmother, or at least someone to look up to.
“My mother is very important to me. She is my map when I am lost. Whenever I am unaware or do not understand something she is always there to inform me what’s going on.
“My mother is very truthful even though the truth can sometimes hurt. One time I was leaving for school when my mom told me how poorly dressed I was and that my hair looked awful.
“My mother is also very nice to me. She bought me things and did things for me even when I didn’t need it.
“My mother always supports me in everything I do. No matter what activity I’m doing she always tells me not to give up. Even if I do not succeed on what I’m doing, she tells me to work harder and next time I’ll do better.
“My mom is also very strict. I cannot watch certain TV shows, listen to certain music, or call certain places. I can’t make anything below an A, and she gives me homework when I don’t even have homework!
“Despite all this, my mom can be very fun. She takes me out to eat, to the movies, and sometimes she even rides dirt bikes with my dad and me. She’s not embarrassing when I’m with my friends either … well, not really embarrassing.
“She is really caring and protective of me, too. She makes me check in when I go outside. I have to call her when I get home from school, and I have a curfew of 10 p.m. on weekends.
“Not too long ago, my grandpa was cutting down a tree. While it was falling my mom thought it was headed straight toward me. She screamed so loud it could have waked the dead. When it fell it wasn’t even close to me! She almost gave me a heart attack thinking a tree was gonna’ fall on me!
“The fact is that all these things are what makes my mom a really great mom. But, the most important thing is that she loves me and I love her. It makes me feel better knowing she is with me.”
Thanks Matt, and all the other students and their teachers.
No matter how much or little each wrote, each child reflected the truth: “A person that loves me is a very special and important person,” Anna Lester, WMS.
(Joan Hershberger is a reporter at the News-Times.)