Mother’s Day is a holiday to show appreciation to mothers of all kinds and allow them to feel the impact they have had on others.
BYU public health major Kenya Augustin said she loves seeing mothers feel recognized, loved and praised for all they do.
“Mothers literally are superheroes in my mind,” Augustin said. “All they do for their family and all the love they show is amazing. I believe that mothers need a day to be recognized, and I love taking the time to let my mom know how much she is loved.”
Augustin said a typical Mother’s Day in her home includes a clean house and someone besides her mom making a delicious dinner. After dinner, family members take turns saying one good thing about their mom, and she receives gifts, flowers and cards.
“My mom likes to receive anything that she can use around the house,” Augustin said. “She loves to decorate her house and cooks a lot, so any utensils or pictures and candles, she loves.”
Augustin said she likes spending time with her mom, going on walks, painting nails or shopping. She said she enjoys talking to her about everything, and it has helped her recognize all her mother has done for her.
“I know that when I become a mom, I would love to feel appreciated for all the hard work I do, too,” Augustin said. “Sometimes the things mothers do go unnoticed, so it is nice to have a day to just say thank you to the woman who raised me, loves me and is my best friend.”
BYU photography major Kiley De Visser said her family enjoys making Mother’s Day a relaxing day for her mother, serving her and keeping the focus on her.
“It always makes us realize how much she does for us every day as we do things she would normally do,” De Visser said. “Especially living away from home — that made me a million times more grateful for my mother. She continually was picking up after me and always making sure everything was in order.”
De Visser and her family get up early to clean the house and make breakfast for her mom every Mother’s Day.
“We wake her up and bring her breakfast on a tray with cards and flowers,” De Visser said. “We also wrap presents and set them out for her to open. For the rest of the day, we make sure the house is clean and that she doesn’t have to do anything but relax. Then, my dad always makes dinner that night.”
De Visser said it is important to her to write her mother a note and let her know how much she loves her.
“It is so important to me to let my mother know how grateful I am for all the times she brushed my hair or packed my lunch or stayed up late working on school projects and listened to me talk about everything under the sun,” De Visser said.
Austin Hoyt, business management major from Sacramento, said one of his favorite Mother’s Day memories was when he was on his LDS mission in Denver, Colorado.
“I remember calling my family in California while I was in Denver in a snow storm. I remember saying how much I loved her and thanking her for such a great example to me,” Hoyt said. “That was a fun memory for me.”
Hoyt said he and his family spoil their mother each Mother’s Day by making her a nice breakfast in bed and allowing her to relax the whole day.
“We cook the meals, do the dishes and clean the house all for her,” Hoyt said. “My dad would take the lead on getting her a nice gift, and my brothers and I open it with her and say things we love about her.”
Hoyt enjoys spending time finding a funny card and writing a nice message to his mother telling her how much he loves her.
“I like how it’s a day to reflect on how much my mom has done for me. She is the most loving woman I know, and I love how nice, fun and positive she is all the time,” Hoyt said. “I get a lot of my personality from her, and I like to think about the impact my loving mom has had on me and express that to her.”
