“Stay in bed Mom! Don’t get up!” I lovingly recall my little ones, almost trembling with excitement, rushing to my room each Mother’s Day morning. They were filled with the anticipation of giving Mom breakfast in bed.

Sometimes there was a menu, sometimes there were homemade cards, always there was a little flower vase filled with whatever they found blooming in the yard or in the woods. The food didn’t matter to me – I loved their excitement and the fun they had gathering on my bed to watch me eat.

I’ll be on my own for breakfast next week and that’s totally fine! Breakfast in bed with little ones is a joyful stage of life and I hope young mothers everywhere are making the most of these years! They pass too quickly, but oh, how I treasure the memories.

It was during those early years that we began another Mother’s Day tradition. We borrowed it from a friend – always a good source of traditions…. Rather than having the children go and buy gifts for Mom, I asked that they each write me a poem. I don’t love poetry, but I did love it from my children. Time passed and they grew and it was becoming a chore for them to write and perhaps even for me to read…

In 2017 the children were mostly grown – maybe a couple of them were left at home to bring me breakfast?? Anyway, I didn’t want to read any more poetry and they didn’t want to write any more poetry…. it was time for a change. I love traditions but I don’t think that we need to be stuck in them forever… and so a new tradition emerged.

Would you believe it? My incredible children (and now their spouses and children) are such good sports. Each year I give them a writing assignment and bless them, either lovingly or grudgingly, on Mother’s Day I am blessed with many pages of essay to read and to cherish. I wonder if they realize that by writing just once a year they are beginning to write their life’s story? Their words tell a story but so does their tone and their style. One may write half a page while others consistently produce 4 or 5 pages. One may include a lot of facts while another writes to entertain. We usually sit and read them aloud though, on occasion, someone may wish to keep their words for Mom’s eyes only.

What do they write? Any number of things – I have the task of coming up with a prompt. I try to keep the prompts somewhat vague, thus letting them interpret as they please and providing more personalization in their essays. Here are a few examples:

• Family Vacations
• Playtime
• Reading Together
• Twelve Year-Old Trips
• Lewisville Park
• Swimming
• Memories of Dad

One year there was a variety of questions to answer. Once we asked about admirable traits they saw in other family members. This year I asked them to write about “Five Everyday Things That Make Me Happy.” I am hoping they will elaborate on each of their “five things.”

I decided to write about this tradition because it is one of my favorites and I want it to be recorded. I have had more than one family want to duplicate it —- and it isn’t easy to introduce it unless you begin while children are young. That doesn’t matter – we will continue to write essays…. what will you do?