Yesterday when we got to church, I looked up on the stand and saw my 10-year-old Kid 3 sitting there, grinning at me. In our church, people are asked or assigned to speak on Sundays, but they don’t use little kids except one day a year. And then they use all of them. But there sat my Kid, with 5 other young people (13+), on the stand ready to speak.
I looked at Kid 1. “Tell me you wrote her talk.”
“Nope.”
Kid 2? “Did you help her?”
She shook her head with a little laugh.
Husband sat down beside me. “Please. Tell me you helped her.”
He shrugged. “A little. A very little.”
Deep breath. Smile at Kid 3. Say a fervent prayer.
Here is her talk, unedited by me, and apparently only “green yogurt” added by her dad.
Today I am supposed to talk about my mom. My mom is a great role model to me; I always want to be like her. She lives the gospel, so, naturally, I want to as well. She helped me decide that I want to be a mom when I grow up. I am so glad that she is a good example to me. She has helped me grasp what is really important, like wants vs. needs, or choosing church over sleeping in (today, as you can see, I chose the right). Later, after she helps me make these choices, I realize that these are good choices that will benefit me later on.
My mom is good at being nice, even when she messes up. Like the time she made skor cake and tres leches cake and put the skor bars on the tres leches cake and made a joke out of it (she is a cake ninja).
My mom is good at being funny. One time when we went to the zoo for my kindergarten field trip, and she made a girl laugh so hard that yogurt squirted out of her nose. The sad thing about it is it was key lime pie yogurt, which is green.
My mom is good at quoting movie lines. We have a game called ‘the movie line game’ and she knows the answer every time.
My mom is good at making popcorn. Every Sunday we have ‘popcorn Sunday’. Most people think there is only one flavour of popcorn, but I can list a few. There is ranch, Italian, burnt butter, and many combos. Every Sunday it is like a whole new popcorn experience, all buttery and delicious.
My mom is good at handling lots of things at the same time. Well, most of the time. One time when she was driving Matt to school, she drove him all the way to the front door… of the high school. Matt is eight years old, and has not yet graduated elementary school.
My mom is good at maintaining a low temper level, even being married to my father, I have no clue how she does it. My mom is good at loving us, even when we are not the best. I could tell you stories of us not being our best, but I’ll leave that to your imagination. And my mom is good at loving the gospel. About every week, she goes to the church at 7 am, just to fulfill her callings. She is always (well, not always) reading her scriptures, she makes sure we have some sort of family night each week, and she taught us ALL (including Dad) how to forgive. The best way you can tell she is loving, not just living the gospel, is how she treats others, or how she quietly serves. We all have nice things to say about our mothers, that is why we celebrate mother’s day on the 2nd Sunday of every May. Mother’s day is the time when we show our moms we love them all day, even though they show us they love us every single day of the year. I want to take this opportunity to tell my mom how much I love her. Thank you, mom, and happy mother’s day!
*****
Um, yes. She’s cute. And if you could have heard her delivery, you would have fallen instantly and irredeemably in love.
(22) Comments for this blog
What a sweet kid! Were you bawling? I think I would have been!
It was funny, Carrie Jo — I laughed through her whole talk. It’s something about her delivery and her confidence: It just inspired happiness, you know? But two of the boys who talked made me bawl. It was a good day — laughter and tears together.
What a sweet kid! Were you bawling? I think I would have been!
It was funny, Carrie Jo — I laughed through her whole talk. It’s something about her delivery and her confidence: It just inspired happiness, you know? But two of the boys who talked made me bawl. It was a good day — laughter and tears together.
What a talented writer already – do you pass that down in the gene pool? So very cute and I’m sure she had everyone’s rapt attention. You are a wonderful mother with wonderful kids.
I know, Mimi — I need to get her to do another “Belle’s Bookshelf” where she does a book review. She needs to work that writing talent!
What a talented writer already – do you pass that down in the gene pool? So very cute and I’m sure she had everyone’s rapt attention. You are a wonderful mother with wonderful kids.
I know, Mimi — I need to get her to do another “Belle’s Bookshelf” where she does a book review. She needs to work that writing talent!
Love. That. Girl. (And her mama, too! Hope you had a wonderful Popcorn Mother’s Day Sunday!)
Love. That. Girl. (And her mama, too! Hope you had a wonderful Popcorn Mother’s Day Sunday!)
Nice work K3! And way to go Cake Ninja. I am laughing so hard I’m crying.
My fave line: “She lives the gospel, so, naturally, I want to as well.” I had to read it a couple of times with the punctuation to get the intent. But depending on the inflection, it could be a compliment of your natural ability to live the gospel. Carry on!
Nice work K3! And way to go Cake Ninja. I am laughing so hard I’m crying.
My fave line: “She lives the gospel, so, naturally, I want to as well.” I had to read it a couple of times with the punctuation to get the intent. But depending on the inflection, it could be a compliment of your natural ability to live the gospel. Carry on!
I can just picture her standing there, giving her talk. It sounds just like her! How darling! Becca, you have (are doing) a great job teaching and raising your children.
I can just picture her standing there, giving her talk. It sounds just like her! How darling! Becca, you have (are doing) a great job teaching and raising your children.
Were you laughing through your tears? I would be. She sounds like a gem.
Were you laughing through your tears? I would be. She sounds like a gem.
Payoff moments. You never know when they’re going to strike, but, oh, how sweet.
Payoff moments. You never know when they’re going to strike, but, oh, how sweet.
GOLD, baby. GOLD.
GOLD, baby. GOLD.
I’m all for cherishing green yogurt moments; way to go, Dad. Just think of another whole generation of laughs that make you know the world is in good hands. Even with buttery fingers. And right choices.
I’m all for cherishing green yogurt moments; way to go, Dad. Just think of another whole generation of laughs that make you know the world is in good hands. Even with buttery fingers. And right choices.