AARP Rewards Mother's Day Contest 2026!

[AARPTeri]

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 

[hicks4000]

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]

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

[DeborahT462468]

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]

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

[cathy39]

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]

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

[LisaS155960]

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]

Beautifully written.

[LeeanneW388421]

 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]

So true.

[CarolS749755]

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

[KimberlyD697888]

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]

I remember that phrase myself!  

[soccernut5]

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]

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

[MaryG404038]

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]

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.

[AlisaG39951]

Mother of 4 girl,a son that's deceased. He would always gift me Channel#5.Now who's going to gift me this fabulous fragrance 

[SereneSeagull]

Sometimes our wonderful memories can bring a smell to our nose just by the memories.  

[jc2583878]

My Mother became a widow in 1969, when my dad had a massive heart attack. It devastated her, and she went through a lot of emotional aching, but she focused on us girls. He was 50, and somehow, she found a way to raise four strong minded independent women, all on her own. She would clean people's houses for a living to make ends meet, while making sure homework was done. I believe it was her strong faith that got her through and all of us through as well. We learned how to become good mothers and women due to her instilling her strength in all of us. I am so proud she was my mother, and I miss her a lot.

[PattyR231198]

A woman first, a mother second!!!!

my mom had 8 of us in 11 years; all single births 

she loved children 

I appreciated that even being a mom, she was a women first. 

[annrico1]

Mom's gone, but not numerous great memories. She was the best.

[kf2304]

My mom was the strongest person I have ever known. She lost a father when she was young, her own young son at age 7 (hit by a drunk driver while crossing the road), and her husband when I was a young teenager. She was part of that "Greatest Generation", who came of age during the depression and then endured WW II, losing other family members. Growing up, we didn't have much, but what we always had, in abundance, was her unconditional love and support. Because of how she had to manage the many challenges life brought her way, she always told me to be independent, to make sure I could take care of myself, earn my own money, so that I could be secure, should the worst come to pass. She set the bar high for me, and supported and encouraged me, telling me that it was her duty to make sure that I used the gifts God had given me to their fullest extent, for myself and for others, something I still tell my kids today. I owe much of who I am and what I have to her. She was just an ordinary person- a bookeeper by day, part-time waitress, part-time seamstress by night and on weekends - but the lessons she passed on to me were invaluable, making her extraordinary in my eyes. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about her, and thank God for the wonderful blessing He gave me...in the form of my wonderful mother. 

[lg3827]

My father and mother often found humor in uncomfortable situations. When my father died at 55 it was a shock to the entire family. After his funeral, the minister came to our home. He was talking to my mother and asked, very seriously, if she thought my dad would have been happy with the service. She replied that she thought he would have preferred that someone else was in the coffin. The minister was speechless and I had to leave the room to keep from laughing. My dad would have loved her response. 

[BrianHinton]

I was a shy child with medical problems and had a hard time fitting in with others my age. My mother was always very encouraging to me. She would say something like, "You can be anything you want. You just need to apply yourself." It took me many years to learn how to apply myself and find what I wanted to do in life. Over the years, I would always say to others, "I'm still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up." It became a joke. I believe I figured out what my mother meant when she said I needed to apply myself. She passed away in 2008 but still has a place in my heart. Now that I'm retired, I still joke that, "I'm trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up..."

[SereneSeagull]

Liked your post, @BrianHinton .  I think we all are!  Never growing up is fun!

[LeslieP378862]

My mom, although suffering from dementia can still melt my heart with her smile.

[SereneSeagull]

@LeslieP378862 Smiles and laughter transcend 👍

[MiguelP817586]

My mother is the strongest person I know. She has all my respect and admiration. She worked her whole life to give me and my sibilings the best she could. She went through several traumatic events in her life and yet she never gives up. Now, she is retired and unfortunately dealing with some health issues. Now it is my turn to be strong for her. I love you with all my heart mom.

[trishie199]

I'm not sure how to enter and tell my story. I think I used some of my points to enter the contest, but I was not directed to the page or whatever I needed to do to enter. Is there any way you can check it out or tell me what I have done wrong?

Patricia