Mom of the year

I was in Chapters the other day and because I was by myself (gasp!) I was able to leisurely browse around. I was looking at the stationery and photo albums and so on and there was this adorable little photo album with a frame on the cover and the words “mom of the year.” Kind of cheesy, but also very cute!

So it got me thinking about “mom of the year” and the idea of just what kinds of things moms do to be up for the title of “mom of the year.” The “small” things that this story refers to or the big things like how one of my closest friends is very deftly and delicately managing the sudden departure of her nanny and the subsequent “daycare transition” in a really amazing way.

I am nominating my sister-in-law for “Mom of the year!” Her daughter recently came up with the idea of bringing to real life an imaginary stuffed animal friend. My sister-in-law (with the help of grandma) facilitated bringing this creature to life as per her three-year-old daughter’s very precise (and convoluted) instructions. She didn’t have to do this, didn’t have to go to Fabricland or wherever, didn’t have to let the child draw out this creature so they could come up with a sewing pattern. She didn’t have to do any of it – I’m sure she could have just gotten away with “That’s so interesting and nice, dear. That sounds like a very interesting creature. Let's colour a picture of it.” She didn’t have to, but did anyway and it’s all these kinds of small, fun, attentive things - and, of course, the big things - that culminate in the creation of “mom of the year.”

Here is “Heta.” S/he would love to hear your “mom of the year” stories!