AARP Online Community and Discussion Forums - Re: AARP Rewards Mother's Day Contest 2026! - Page 2

AARPTeri · ‎04-17-2026

Mother's Day is all about love, laughter... and the moments that make moms so special!

Share your Mother's Day tribute by hitting reply to this post - it can be funny, heartfelt or totally unique! Whether it's a funny memory, a simple thank you, or a life lesson she shared - we want to hear about it!

Not only will you spread some joy, but you will also have a chance to win a special reward, because great stories deserve great prizes!

Need inspiration? Try one of these prompts to get you started!

The moment my mom totally saved the day for me...
If my mom had a superpower, it would be...
Something my mom/inspiring woman in my life told me was...

No purchase necessary to win! Be sure your entry is your own original story! Keep it kind, respectful and fun! Check out the official rules here: View Contest Rules

Play our new Mother's Day Mahjong Solitaire Game!

We also have Mother's Day egreeting cards in Rewards, you can view them here

AARPTeri

KristiM483093 · ‎05-02-2026

I am 54 and still need my mom everyday. My mom is the strongest woman I know. I became a nurse just like her because I wanted to be like her. She is still always my go-to person for everything.

SereneSeagull · ‎05-03-2026

Thank you @KristiM483093 , for all that you do, and thank your mother for her kind caring daughter, who gives of herself to help others. Thank you for caring for those who need you.

DawnO363554 · ‎05-02-2026

At 81, my mom is still there for me. I can call anytime of the day or night and she will answer. She still gives me loving advice and is guiding me on how to be a parent to all adult children. Once a week we get together with my daughters to have sewing night. Sometimes we get a project made. Sometimes she is teaching us new techniques but most of the time we get loving advice or hear her latest concerns for us. Other times we are laughing so much our stomachs hurt. We love hearing about her childhood, when my parents met, how they got through their hard times, her memories of me, my brother, and our children when we were little. A girl could not ask for a better mother than the one I have. She is a beacon!

Notoldyet17 · ‎05-02-2026

II am the youngest of five siblings. My mom went back to work when I was three years old to help support our family along with my dad. I watched through the years as Mom took care of her responsibilities at home along with her full-time job. When she came home from work at night, she started dinner for the family. She taught us how to cook and to do chores, not only to help her but so we would be able to take care of ourselves. She was a superwoman, but she always took the time to give us a hug good-bye or a kiss goodnight. She has gone to Heaven, but her memory keeps me going in hard times. When I lack courage or strength, all I have to do is think of Mom, and the strength comes to do what I need to do. What an inspiration she was (and is!), and I thank God for her every day! I miss you, Mom!

JoanC78197 · ‎05-02-2026

My mom's superpower was clairvoyance in predicting events.I have acquired the same attribute through life. It does have various advantages similar to fortune telling.

SereneSeagull · ‎05-03-2026

Then you must know who won this contest!

lg1145 · ‎05-02-2026

I learned from my mom that food is love. I've carried on the tradition from my wise teacher.

My mom’s rouladen is a family favorite, requested for birthdays and holidays. She learned the recipe from Mrs. Hass. We would pick up Mr. and Mrs. Hass on Sunday mornings and give them a ride to church. My three sisters and I not only learned how to cook from Mom, we also knew if you had an empty seat in your car, then there was room for fellow congregants passed the driving age.

One blessing received from Mrs. Hass was a dish made with beef, bacon, onions, Dijon mustard, and pickles. How can you go wrong? It’s the German favorite rouladen, which Mom always served with homemade spätzle. She would use a butter knife to cut the dough into small dumplings. When we would have a large crowd, I’d help form the spätzle and drop them into the boiling water. I can still feel the steam coming off the pot as the spätzle would rise to the top. Just a few minutes and you had the perfect textured dumpling, ladled with the best gravy you could eat by the spoonful. Yes, it’s that good.

I made 60 rouladen rolls for Mom’s surprise 75th birthday. We invited family, friends, and the ladies from her wedding party. She thought she was babysitting for her grandkids and was totally caught off guard. Of course, we brought clothes for her to change into. She’s a woman of the 50’s and would never think of going out of the house without first applying lipstick. As you can imagine, it was a great night with good food.

My mom is a wonderful cook, harkening back to when dinner parties started with Manhattans and Whiskey sours. Fondue was set out on the coffee table and Julia’s Beef Bourguignon was the main attraction.

I bought her a 99-cent knife at Shop Rite that guaranteed to cut through anything. It actually worked and I learned how to cut a chicken into eight pieces holding the drumsticks apart, so she had tension to slice that sucker in half. Even though you can buy your chicken in pieces these days, it’s very satisfying to breakdown a whole bird every once in a while.

My three sisters and I have taken Mom on two cruises, which allows for many enjoyable meals together. One of our most memorable meals was dinner in Luxembourg. My mom’s dad was born in the Grand Duchy, but my mother had never visited her father’s home country. The night before our river cruise started, we ate al fresco and toasted her dad, my Pop-Pop, with raised wine glasses. The food that night wasn’t as good as my mom’s home cooking, but it was a dinner to remember.

If I speak to my sister on a day I’m preparing rouladen, by the time we’ve finished our conversation, she’s persuaded me to put some aside for her. I had better not forget to pull her stash from the freezer the next time I head up the Turnpike.

AnnetteS42908 · ‎05-02-2026

@lg1145 wrote:
I learned from my mom that food is love. I've carried on the tradition from my wise teacher.

My mom’s rouladen is a family favorite, requested for birthdays and holidays. She learned the recipe from Mrs. Hass. We would pick up Mr. and Mrs. Hass on Sunday mornings and give them a ride to church. My three sisters and I not only learned how to cook from Mom, we also knew if you had an empty seat in your car, then there was room for fellow congregants passed the driving age.

One blessing received from Mrs. Hass was a dish made with beef, bacon, onions, Dijon mustard, and pickles. How can you go wrong? It’s the German favorite rouladen, which Mom always served with homemade spätzle. She would use a butter knife to cut the dough into small dumplings. When we would have a large crowd, I’d help form the spätzle and drop them into the boiling water. I can still feel the steam coming off the pot as the spätzle would rise to the top. Just a few minutes and you had the perfect textured dumpling, ladled with the best gravy you could eat by the spoonful. Yes, it’s that good.

I made 60 rouladen rolls for Mom’s surprise 75th birthday. We invited family, friends, and the ladies from her wedding party. She thought she was babysitting for her grandkids and was totally caught off guard. Of course, we brought clothes for her to change into. She’s a woman of the 50’s and would never think of going out of the house without first applying lipstick. As you can imagine, it was a great night with good food.
My mom is a wonderful cook, harkening back to when dinner parties started with Manhattans and Whiskey sours. Fondue was set out on the coffee table and Julia’s Beef Bourguignon was the main attraction.

I bought her a 99-cent knife at Shop Rite that guaranteed to cut through anything. It actually worked and I learned how to cut a chicken into eight pieces holding the drumsticks apart, so she had tension to slice that sucker in half. Even though you can buy your chicken in pieces these days, it’s very satisfying to breakdown a whole bird every once in a while.

My three sisters and I have taken Mom on two cruises, which allows for many enjoyable meals together. One of our most memorable meals was dinner in Luxembourg. My mom’s dad was born in the Grand Duchy, but my mother had never visited her father’s home country. The night before our river cruise started, we ate al fresco and toasted her dad, my Pop-Pop, with raised wine glasses. The food that night wasn’t as good as my mom’s home cooking, but it was a dinner to remember.

If I speak to my sister on a day I’m preparing rouladen, by the time we’ve finished our conversation, she’s persuaded me to put some aside for her. I had better not forget to pull her stash from the freezer the next time I head up the Turnpike.

Omg yes! I adore rouladen and haven’t made it in years. I make mine with the same recipe. I like to make knödel and a gravy from the rouladen juices. 😋

DebbieS0117 · ‎05-02-2026

My mom was quite a character! When making Christmas cookies she would make her famous spritz cookies. Using the old fashion spritz maker she would squeeze a cookie shape out to the cookie sheet. If the cookie dough was misshaped, should would sweep her hand down the cookie sheet and snatch up the dough....when doing this, she would just say "son of a bi**ch" and continue on with the next one. These cookies became know as the "son of a bi**ch" cookies as we got older.

Once all her cookies were made, she would put them in tins and put them on a shelf going down to the basement. With 5 kids, we all washed our hair down in the washtubs....but going down we all stopped to sneak a cookie. It didn't matter what one we opened, but the cookies always were good early in the morning. Not knowing that each of us was doing the sneaking, we were all surprised when mom finally noticed and called us all out. We all admitted to eating them. No wonder they were all gone. She was not too happy when she had to make more cookies....but we all were more selective in the sneaking!!!

Debbie Stibich

AndrewZ479660 · ‎05-02-2026

Although my mother didn’t have the opportunity to attend college, she valued her children’s educations and always supported and encouraged our studies. I am grateful for her supporting me in my studies and for modeling what a lifelong learner looks like!

JenniferF982705 · ‎05-02-2026

My Mom is so special to me. It's sounds like a cliché but she really is one of my best friends. She hasn't always had the easiest life but she has always put her kids 1st and grandkids even more. She can be feisty and tough at times but she is also caring and considerate. I don't want to know life without her in it. I cherish her to the fullest.

hicks4000 · ‎05-02-2026

My mother was diagnosed with cancer at 27, when I was two years old. She was in and out of hospitals for two years, and we had to move several hundred miles for her family so my dad could work a job that gave him better money and benefits.

Being away from relatives was hard on her, but Mom corresponded regularly with my Aunt Francis about her illness and the minutia of our lives. When I turned 50, my aunt gave me the letters she had preserved in their envelopes. What a treasure!

Having only a couple of memories of my mother, the letters allowed me to know her. Her ups and downs, joys and sorrows. It was a look at my toddler years and even the news of the day. Some of the stories she told about my sister and I were hilarious. Some of her struggles were heartbreaking.

But whenever I’m feeling down, I read the missives and know I was loved. Between my mother writing them, and my aunt preserving them, the letters are truly the greatest gift I’ve ever received.

SereneSeagull · ‎05-02-2026

What a wonderful gift to have in those letters, @hicks4000

DeborahT462468 · ‎05-02-2026

My Mother is loving and thoughtful.She puts family above herself.She helps everyone who has a need.At the age of 91still occasionally cooks for family and friends.Makes the world better for her family and friends.Taught me to love and respect everyone.My Mother is my angel.

SereneSeagull · ‎05-02-2026

How wonderful that she is still with you and brings that joy!

cathy39 · ‎05-02-2026

I have very happy memories of my mother growing up. She was passionate about gardening. She was always busy making n the kitchen canning and freezing all the fruit and vegetables from the garden. Growing up I was assisting in the harvest. I am a Master Gardener and think of my mother often.

SereneSeagull · ‎05-02-2026

@cathy39 She passed that love of gardening on to you, and is with you in doing so. How great is that!

LisaS155960 · ‎05-02-2026

My mother is an angel sent to take care of me. She's always there when I need her. Through my many surgeries and procedures she's taken me to her house to take care of my outpatient care.Some of my fondest memories of my mom is our travels such as Disney World and Bourbon Street and the Mammoth Caves and Taquaneman Falls and camping and our many trips to our winter home in Florida and SeaWorld and and Tampa ghost tours and Tampa aquarium and many more places. She's got a caregiver personality. She cares for our whole family. She loves and shows it in her actions. She's very protective of all family members. She's my angel and always will be. She always attends our church Mother's Day dinner. Much love to the matriarch of our family. Happy Mother's Day Mom. I love you with all my heart.

SereneSeagull · ‎05-02-2026

Beautifully written.

LeeanneW388421 · ‎05-01-2026

remember a particular Mother’s Day in 1977. I had a miscarriage the day before and was really down. I certainly did not want to go the church and hear the usual guilt inducing remarks about being a perfect mother. But I went. During the meeting, I realized that I had three wonderful children sitting beside me. If I never had more, I had reason to feel great JOY and I was content.

SereneSeagull · ‎05-02-2026

So true.

CarolS749755 · ‎05-01-2026

I love you Mom, you are my anchor your sweet little girl

KimberlyD697888 · ‎05-01-2026

When I was a child, something, my mother told me was, “If you don’t like, it lump it.” I was a picky eater, and she said that in response to me letting her know I didn’t care for her dinner (in less kind words).

I took great offense that my mother would talk to me in such a manner. I pouted and ate the dinner she so graciously provided. Perhaps a part of it was passed off to the cat under my chair, but I never went hungry.

Mom worked hard as a realtor five or more days each week. We had a traditional household where Mom also was in charge of cleaning and cooking. I took it all for granted back then and fussed like any child might.

Looking back, my mother taught me that I should be grateful for what has been provided, and opened my pallet up to choices other than that of a fussy child. I also learned to respect the effort she put into all that she did for the family.

When raising my own children, I never used mom‘s phrase, but the meaning of it stuck with me. My children had to try at least a bite of whatever was prepared . If they didn’t like it, they could pour themselves a bowl of cereal, but I provided the one dinner that I planned, shopped for ingredients, and worked lovingly to make. Neither of them is picky now but they had been when they were little. I was not the mom that made different meals to suit each family member. I believe my mom’s words, flippant as they seemed at the time, came from the right place and I am appreciative and learned from her to be grateful for what I have, respectful of others, and willingness to try new things. Glad Mom stood up for herself too.

I am very fortunate to still have my mom and treasure any cooking she is still willing to do for me as an adult.

SereneSeagull · ‎05-02-2026

I remember that phrase myself!

soccernut5 · ‎05-01-2026

Growing up I used to watch my mom make batch after batch of jam. I think I was intrigued because of all the cups of sugar I saw her use! Looking back, I'm not sure what she did with it all but safe to say we never ran out of jam. I even told her that when I grew up I wanted to live next to her and make strawberry jam. Today, we live a couple of blocks from each other. Let the jam making begin!

SereneSeagull · ‎05-01-2026

The house is full of the wonderful jam smell, too.

MaryG404038 · ‎05-01-2026

As a 14 year old daughter, and one of 11 children, it was always understandable why I always thought of my mom as an amazing mother. It took one special moment for me to see her as more, a sweet, blushing woman! She was driving me to a doctor's appointment around noon one day when my dad came randomly down the opposite side of the street, heading home for lunch from his job. As he neared our car & spotted Mom, he gave her a sly wink, softly blowing her a kiss. As mom patted her heart & blushed, she shared with me, "Even after all these years, seeing him still makes my heart go pitter-patter!". God LOVE her!

SallyS254556 · ‎05-01-2026

My mother is truly my inspiration. At 87, she's welcoming the chaos of a new puppy while still driving around to help others—bringing food and thoughtful gifts to neighbors in need. She is my rock, always knowing how to cheer me up when I need it most. Though she may have lost a few inches as she’s aged, her heart only keeps growing. Years ago, she worked in inner-city schools in Detroit and later in Muskegon. To this day, some of her second-grade students, now in their 60s, still keep in touch with her. That says everything about the kind of person she is: funny, kind, wise, and one of the strongest people I know. I love her with all my heart and feel incredibly lucky to have her in my life.