Mother's Day Sentiments

by Julia Buckley

We spent a lovely Mother's Day visiting my parents out in the more countrified suburbs of Chicago.  My mom, who turns 80 this year, had expressed an interest in getting necklaces as a gift, so of course she got a slew of them; she decided to wear them all, which gave her a distinctly regal look. 

My own Mother's Day morning had been quite nice.  My sons gave me a gift trilogy of chocolate, a candle and a necklace, and then, as an afterthought, jotted down some sentiments.  Since they are eighteen and fourteen, their cards are filled with ironic detachment.  I thought I'd share them (with their permisssion) to give you a sense of the way my sons see the world (and how they express their love through humor).

Dear Mom,

Thanks for keeping me. I feel that was a good start to our relationship. After that you provided for me for a solid fourteen years.  I think this is a good day for me to tell you that you're good at being my guardian.  Pretty good. Thank you for the time, effort, and thought you put into raising that &$%#  Ian and me.  Ian's not that special, but you got us to last this long, and you made me great.

Love,
Graham Lincoln

(Ian's letter, below, was written on the back of a cash register receipt, probably to annoy me).

Mooma,

Happy Falcon Day. I can assure you that everyone here on the Buckley Family Team is appreciative of all the work you've done this past fiscal year.  We all think you're terrific.  Congratulations!  We love you and what you bring to the table.  In the words of Marty Shakespeare: "One or two boys are good enough, but a mother is most pleasant."  I share in that sentiment to a reasonable extent.

Louvre,

Yan

Yes, gone are the days when my children might have just written "Happy Mother's Day" on a construction paper card. These are all attempts at Theatre of the Absurd.

And yet these are kind sentiments, expressed in honor of the occasion, so I'll treasure them as I do all of the goofy cards from my sons.

They will both graduate this year--Graham from 8th grade and Ian from high school--so it's rather a momentous time in our lives.

What did YOU do on Mother's Day?