Mother’s Day is rapidly approaching, and that means it’s time to take a step back from all the chaos to appreciate all the things our mothers do for us.

In the mayhem of everyday life, it is often easy to take our mothers for granted and not truly acknowledge all the sacrifices they make. Luckily, we all get the opportunity to dedicate a whole day to our moms and put them first, just as they do for us every day. Whether it’s a mom, aunt, grandma, or friend, there is a motherly figure in each and every one of our lives that deserves a little appreciation.

Mothers put in so much time, effort, and energy into making our lives run smoothly, especially for kids and teenagers. Not only do they have to work and manage their own lives, but they also have to do a lot for us. In just one day, many of our moms work, cook meals, clean, do laundry, chauffeur kids around, and support their families in addition to meeting all of their own needs. However, their love and friendship are two of the most valuable things they have to offer.

AHS Sophomore Emma Kuhn recognizes her mother’s astonishing ability to continuously focus on love, support, and laughter even in the craziness of her life.

“Not only does she balance her busy work schedule with our family like a superhero, but she does it so gracefully; she’s up with us at 6:45 in the morning, all the way until it’s time to go to bed,” Kuhn said. “Support and encouragement from her lifts us all up to be our best selves. At least once a day, her humor makes all the daily worries fade.”  

Making time to enjoy simple pleasures with their kids, like eating dinner together or just playing a game, is a top priority of many mothers even with all the work they have to do. Mothers make daily sacrifices so their kids can thrive and be happy. While they should be appreciated every day for their hard work, Mother’s Day is a special day solely dedicated to moms.

At AHS, we are lucky enough to have a motherload of kids that love, respect and admire their moms. Many of them look up to their mothers as role models and admire their uniqueness.

Senior Gaia Murphy thinks very highly of her mom as a respectable role model and friend.

“My mom is beautiful on the inside and out, intelligent beyond belief, and can do absolutely everything,” Murphy said.

James Kelly, a sophomore at AHS, also looks up to his mom’s incredible courage and other unique qualities.

“I admire that my mom came to a new country from Germany not speaking the language and built a life here,” Kelly said. “I think that’s pretty brave, and probably something I couldn’t do.”

Emma Kuhn continues to see her mom as one of the most influential people in her life.

“Some students our age look up to the stars of the sports they play, activists of movements they support, or people with occupations they aspire to have,” Kuhn said. “However, not all role models have to be so out of reach, because rather, mine is more close to home: my mom.”

All of these students and many more, have big plans to show their appreciation for this upcoming Mother’s Day. From making their moms breakfast to writing cards, they all just want to spend as much time as possible with them.

Even with all these big plans, it’s always good to see what the moms want, especially for those of us stumped for ideas. If that’s you, I got one word for you…BRUNCH. Brunch was a common theme out of all the interviewed moms, but they all explicitly said they didn’t want to cook or clean. Also, nothing seems to be more special to moms than a heartfelt, hand-crafted card. And of course, just spending time with their families is on the top of their lists.

So on May 12th, no matter what you end up planning, remember that expressing our complete gratitude and admiration is the most important, special thing any of us can do. Because after all their hard work and sacrifices, mothers deserve a day of appreciation. It’s an opportunity to switch the roles and put our mothers’ needs first for once.  

“Having a day dedicated to these lovely women in our lives is the least we can do; we owe it to the moms BIG time,” Kuhn said.