Maria Firkaly| 05/10/2025
When I was a kid, I remember once when we (my parents and four siblings) were on vacation in a big hotel near the Rockie Mountains. We went away to some cool location each summer, because my dad won the trip as part of a conference. (He was a Nationwide Insurance agent for most of my childhood.) I have a few core memories of that summer.
1. We rode horses on the Rockie Mountains. I was a horse crazy girl and had the time of my life. My mother was terrified.
2. My sister Julie, who was a teen at the time, was being an absolute brat. I could not understand why she was so mean to our mother.
3. My siblings and I were all a few floors up from the hotel lobby, which was open to the floors above it. We saw mom and yelled, “MOM! Mommy! Mother!” to no avail. My sister Mary finally yelled, “Claryne!”. She looked up when hearing her name.
There were many “moms” in the crowded lobby, but only one Claryne. My wish for all moms on Mother’s day, is that the people in your life recognize that there is only one of you. You are special and more than just “mom”. (My mother hated Mother’s Day, by the way. She called it a Hallmark Holiday and said we should show our moms we love them every day. But if we insisted on giving her a gift, a tomato plant would be appreciated.)
Here are some books I found that might interest you or a mom you know.
There are Moms Way Worse Than You by Glen Boozan
We’re all doing the best we can, and the natural world is filled with moms worse than you!
A mom giraffe is pretty nice until the fetus drops.
She’ll birth a newborn baby calf, then kick him ’til he walks.
Whenever you feel guilty that you haven’t cleaned the
Sexton beetles raise their kids in a decomposing mouse.
A koala mom will feed her kids her own poop. Yes, poop. Panda moms will abandon one twin because raising two is, well, just too much. And every now and then a cuddly little hamster mom will —yup— eat her newborn pups.
These and other true facts from the animal kingdom offer a hilarious reality check on what constitutes “good parenting.” So, human mother, time to stop worrying about the job you’re doing —because you’re a great mom.
Cat & Nat’s Mom Truths by Catherine Belknap, Natalie Telfer
Hilarious best friends Cat and Nat created a massive online community of moms by sharing their ultra-real and just a bit R-rated dispatches from the mom trenches. From what not to eat a few days after giving birth (chicken wings) to the most effective ways to dodge post-partum sex, Cat & Nat’s Mom Truths shares everything no one will tell you about having kids.
Mom Genes by Abigail Tucker
Everyone knows how babies are made, but scientists are only just beginning to understand the making of a mother. Mom Genes reveals the hard science behind our tenderest maternal impulses, tackling questions such as whether a new mom’s brain ever really bounces back, why mothers are destined to mimic their own moms (or not), and how maternal aggression makes females the world’s most formidable creatures.
The Mother Code by Ruthie Ackerman
In this propulsive memoir, an award-winning journalist blends history, science, and cultural criticism, to uncover whether motherhood outside of society’s rigid rules and expectations is possible—and whether she fits the mold for what a mother should be.
Introverted Mom by Jamie C. Martin
Life as a mom is LOUD, but you long for quiet.
When the volume of family life clashes with your personality, frustration, guilt, and overwhelm naturally result. In Introverted Mom, author Jamie C. Martin lifts these burdens from your shoulders, reminding you that your steady strength is exactly what your family needs in this chaotic world.
*Note: Written from a Christian perspective
Mama Needs a Minute by Mary Catherine Starr
From Mary Catherine Starr, the artist behind the @momlife_comics Instagram account celebrated by moms all over the world, this deeply funny illustrated memoir captures the chaos, joy, exhaustion, guilt, well-intentioned-but-clueless partners, and infinite loads of laundry that come with being a mom.
Happy Mother’s Day to you, today and everyday! – Maria Firkaly