Illustration by Cliff Thomas
This last year, more than ever, we watched moms and dads take on more stress and job titles than ever before. As a whole, I don’t think most children understand how much their parents do and sacrifice for them, or even appreciate them as much as they should. So in the season of Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, I thought I would ask a few kids about what they appreciate most about their moms and dads.
When asked if they show appreciation for how much cooking their parents do..
“Yes! I say thank you every time my mom makes me a grilled cheese sandwich! She makes the best ones ever!” – Maci, 5
“Well, I’m not sure if I do or not, but I’ll try to tell them more.” – Bo, 10
“Well, I should probably show appreciation to the people at McDonald’s then.” – Lilly, 6
“My dad says we need to show more appreciation for my grandma because we go over there to eat every time my mom burns dinner. Which is A LOT!” – Luke, 9
When asked what their favorite foods are that their parents make for them…
“My mommy makes the best ‘sgetti ever!” – Sadie, 3
“My mom makes pozole every Sunday for our entire family to come over and eat, and it’s my favorite day of the week. Everyone loves her soup so much.” Esme, 8
“My mom makes the best stir fry ever and my nana makes the best seven-layer dip you’ve ever put in your mouth.” – Hayden, 15
“My dad makes the best macaroni and cheese in the whole world.” – Ruby, 15
When asked if they think they help their parents enough around the house…
“According to my mom, we do not.” – Lilly, 6
“Well my mom cleans our whole house, so I don’t think there’s anything to help with.” – Luke, 9
“Well that’s why my Meme comes over.” – Raff, 11
“I’ll have to check with my mom on that, but when my parents ask me to help with something, I always do.” – Bo, 10
When asked if they have chores to do and if they do them without complaining…
“Yes I have chores, but I do complain.” – Gracie, 9
“I have to unload the dishwasher every day, and I would really like something less strenuous to do.” – Claire, 10
“Yes! My mom makes me pick up dog poop out of the yard and I think that is child abuse.” – Raff, 11
“My dad says I’ll have to start mowing the yard when I turn 13, so I’m planning on running away when I’m 12.” – Caleb, 11
When asked if their moms and dads made good teachers when schools were closed last year…
“Yes, but she kept saying she should be getting paid for it.” – Gracie, 9
“I guess so, but everyday she said she couldn’t handle being a teacher and needed more wine.” – Claire, 10
“Yes, but she didn’t give us enough recesses.” – Luke, 9
“My grandparents helped me the most, because my mom couldn’t figure out my math and kept saying that this is why she became a hairdresser and not a teacher.” – Raff, 11
When asked what was the biggest change they experienced during the pandemic…
“Not being able to see my grandparents as often was really hard.” – Esme, 8
“Having to wear a mask! But my dad said we had to or else everyone would think we were Republicans.” – Bo, 10
“My parents fight over the garage now. My dad says my mom is hoarding stuff, but my mom says she is just couponing and saving for emergencies. But all the stuff is in the garage and my dad gets mad because he can’t park his truck in there anymore.” – Claire, 10
“My mom makes us sanitize our hands all the time and gets so mad when my brother picks his nose because he could get corvona.” – Lilly, 6
When asked what their favorite thing about their mom and dad is…
“I love that my mom and dad make family time a really big deal. I love spending time with my family.” – Esme, 8
“Sometimes they let me have friends spend the night on school nights.” – Bo, 10
“My mom and dad both tell me they love me all the time, and how special I am to them. I don’t like it when they kiss me, but I know that I am very lucky I have them.” – Raff, 11
“When I get to ride the yawn mower with daddy and my mommy lets me wear her makeup!” – Sadie, 3
When asked if they thought their moms and dads were doing a good job and maybe needed a vacation…
“Yes!” – Unanimous l
