What can mothers teach us? Just about everything, it turns out — from how to make an omelet to fending off bullies, making friends and, yes, even influencing people.
Young readers from Brooklyn to The Bronx and beyond responded to our annual Mother’s Day essay-writing contest with humor and heart. Let their letters inspire you to thank the supportive women in your lives this Sunday and every day.
The angel of the ICU
When I was in the hospital having heart-valve surgery, my mom was always there. She was the first face I saw when I opened my eyes and the last face I saw before I fell asleep. She would always ask if I needed anything, if I wanted to play a game or do an arts and crafts project, and she would read to me when I had too many wires connected to me to move. If I was in pain she would always try and help, and when that failed, she distracted me by making me laugh (they say it is the best medicine). And when she ran out of tricks, and when we were allowed, we visited other children in the ICU. On one visit, we met Max, a 2-year-old and a HUGE Patriots fan. He was waiting for a new heart for a year. Even when we left the hospital, my mom remembered Max — she [sent him] a football signed by Rob Gronkowski and Tom Brady of the Patriots.
The doctors made me better. But if you ask me, I think they got a lot of help from my mom.
— Julia Kostin, 10, Manhattan
My role model
Mother’s Day only comes once a year, but to me, Mother’s Day is celebrated every day. It’s not just the joy of receiving shoes, necklaces, rings and etc. It’s the moments we share together.
Every child wishes for that perfect mom that does everything right. If it turned out like that, we would never learn and be ready for the future. As I grow up, I am getting taller, wiser and stronger. I hope to be as good a mom to my children as my mom is to me.
— Kyanna Gumbs, 12, Brooklyn
Be a dreamer!
My mom wants me to be what my dreams told me to be. My mom says, “You don’t want to be a nobody in life. You want to be visible, not invisible . . . let people know you are smart and show them your talent.”
— Desean Steele, 11, Brooklyn
It starts with breakfast . . .
When I was little, my mother had a lot of rules for me to follow, from keeping the house clean to making her breakfast in the morning. I never understood why she was so strict. I hated all her rules. But now that I am older, I understand — she was teaching me how to take care of myself. For example, she made me make her breakfast just about every day, and not depend on other people to feed me. I am now cooking big meals for my family. Even though nobody agrees with me, I think I cook the best in the house . . . She really does know best, because everything she told me so far has been true.
– Kamal Wiggins, 18, The Bronx
‘I wonder if she knows how much I love her’
My mom turns 16 this Wednesday, and you know why? She does not see herself as getting older, just younger with some old traits. It’s weird, but I love it, just like I love her . . .
Moms are normally the ones that embarrass us, the ones that cook bad food, or the ones that are cheap. However, my mom only embarrasses me to lighten a mood, her food is always good, and she’s not cheap — she just shops wisely.
I don’t know whether or not she knows how much I love her but I do. Sometimes, a mother knows best, even when you don’t think she knows. You should never wait to tell your mother you love her or to appreciate her. You only get one biological mother, and before anything happens to her, at least let her know how much you care. I love my mom no matter how weird, old or sad she gets.
— Christopher Anthony Clarke, 17, Manhattan
Watching my footsteps
When my mother was my age, she didn’t have anyone by her side to sit down and talk to her. To this day, my mom holds me to a high standard, as she wants me to be the first in the family to attend and graduate college . . . My mom tells me what is right, wrong or what I need to improve on. She is always standing by my side and watching the footsteps I take. I stand here today and can say that I am more mature and take my education seriously. I recommend that all children listen to their parents — especially their mothers, as they know what is the best for you now and beyond in your life.
— Jackson Amankrah, 17, The Bronx
Break eggs, not hearts
I learned how to make an omelet by watching my mom, and she told me not to care about other people unless they are nice to you. She taught me how to write e-mails.
— Liora Brown, 6, Long Beach, LI
Meet the Heat!
The advice my mom gives me is: Get an education and keep my head up and stay strong. This is important because when I get older, I get to be whatever I want and achieve good grades. I also think it’s important because when I get older, I would be whoever I want — and what I dream of is to be a basketball player and meet all the people on the Miami Heat, like LeBron James.
— Kaseem Small, 12, Brooklyn
She had a second chance, and took it
My mother was born and raised in Guinea, Africa. When her parents passed away at the age of 18, she lost all hope of going back to school. As a result, she got married early. With the help of my father, she was able to move to America a few years ago. She noticed that, unlike her hometown, [here] she had a second chance to get an education. She went back to school to get her GED and become a home health aide.
She reminds me every day that if not for her determination to go back to school, she wouldn’t be in the position she is in today. She says that knowledge is unlimited and one can’t stop learning. This helps me do my very best in everything. I hope that one day she applauds me for taking her advice.
— Adjara Camara, 16, the Bronx
‘We were rich in love’
One of the most important lessons my mom taught me was to give back. When me and my brothers were younger, my mom would always take us to community activities at the church and include us when donating to the local food pantry or Salvation Army. She would always encourage us to donate little things, such as our thousandth stuffed animal. She knew [our toys] meant something to us, but to many kids less fortunate than us, they would mean the world . . .
Even when the economy was really bad, I remember my mom saying that we were “rich in love.” It didn’t matter what kind of money we had — we always had more than others in the way we lived happily together. My mom was able to teach me and my brothers that the power of happiness reigns over anything, and that giving back to others will not only make you feel better that you have done something good, but would give kids who didn’t have a lot a reason to smile!
— Elizabeth Kiewra, 15, Northport, LI
She helps me be me
My mother has always told me to try my hardest and be myself. She always helped me understand that no matter how many people tell me I can’t do it, I should try my hardest to prove them wrong. Any time I come home from school and feel a little let down, she always tells me, “Don’t let words bring you down. Be yourself and try your hardest and you’ll be all right.”
— Zyionna Greene, 10, Brooklyn
M is for motivation!
My mom — the strongest woman I know. She is, at many times, both the mother and father in my life . . . Although I do not ask for much as I am getting older, she still surprises me with gifts and many other things that I truly adore. Everything I receive from her is a blessing . . .
My mother has been through so many things. She has had multiple jobs, we have moved to many other places, and she always has to get up early to go to work. Her discipline inspires me to do better in school so that one day I am able to return all of the favors she has done for me. My mother is amazing and my biggest motivator, and I love her for that.
— Raul De La Rosa, 17, Manhattan
Just a grandmother? Try superwoman!
She is like the big, comfy couch that I sit in, curl up in and fall asleep in sometimes because it has the perfect creases and cushions that comfort any body shape I make in it . . . She is like Sunday evenings with her cooking, that always seems to wake me up as I hear the spoon swirl in the steaming pot. She is a superwoman unseen, because in everyone else’s eyes, she is just a grandmother. She is there to console me when another bonehead broke my heart, and she reminds me how much she loves me without saying so — she uses the ingredients of time, love and thought in her delicious Sunday dinners.
Teachers understand and admire my work ethic and attitude in and out of the classroom. When a teacher mentions this to me, the first person that comes to mind to thank is my superwoman — my grandmother.
— Victoria Rodriguez, 16, Manhattan
Psychic mom
I think mothers have a gift of knowing who our real friends are. After giving birth, are mothers told, “Oh hey, by the way — you have this power . . .”?
OK, maybe there are days I get mad at her for little things, such as not getting [me] something I would like. But who’s there to push me on the path I should be on? Who’s there to say, “Flaca, you can’t give up!” My mom always told me, “Be careful who you put your trust in and tell your secrets to. Nobody is always who you think they are.” It’s the most important advice I could have ever gotten. Thanks, Mom, for everything!
— Cynthia Cruz, 18, Manhattan
Bullied no more
I’ve learned a lot of things from my mom — practice makes progress, and if you get through the hard, you get to the good. But here’s one thing I learned just by listening to my mom: I learned how to take care of myself.
I used to get bullied a lot. They were hard days. I didn’t have any friends. But when I went to my mom, she changed everything. She taught me how to stand up for myself. And when I stood up to a bully, I didn’t “go overboard” and start bullying back. And here, now, present tense, is a much better place to be than in the past. I don’t get bullied. I have good friends. And I owe almost all of it to my mom!
— Safira Gross, 9, Brooklyn
Make room for daddy! Young writers wanted for our Father’s Day contest
He may not be a Met or Yankee — maybe he doesn’t even play ball. But we’re pretty sure the father figure in your life has done something daring, caring or just cool to make your life better. Make him famous by writing about him in The Post. We’ll run our favorite letters June 14, but we need to hear from you by June 9 at My Dad, Pulse, The Post, 1211 Sixth Ave., NY, NY 10036, or mydad@nypost.com. Please include your age, town and daytime phone number.