Memories of Mom and Mother’s Day

By Andrea Gaines

The minute you ask people about memories of mom or memories of Mother’s Day, the floodgates open and the stories come pouring out.

Moms are the portals, the pathways to all kinds of family memories.  Birthdays, holidays, first jobs, old homes and neighborhoods, graduations, old friendships – the list goes on and on.

Mothers, after all, and dads, too craft their families after their own original families and their experiences. It is no wonder that when we think of moms we are reminded and re-educated about the things most precious to us.

Common themes

Many mom and Mother’s Day memories relate to food, not surprisingly.

From people I spoke to for this article, foods included mom’s famous lasagna, the meatloaf we either refused to eat of just loved, pasta dishes, freshly-grilled hamburgers and hotdogs, pies, big meals such as Thanksgiving and, yes, cakes – cakes, and cakes and more cakes.

Let yourself go back to the best of family times by thinking about your best memories of mom and her signature foods.

One person mentioned her mom’s “Heart-Attack-Mac-‘n’-Cheese,” which included five different kinds of cheese.  Ironically, the Mother’s Day tradition in this household was not to dine in, but to dine out.

Then there was this memory: mom’s oatmeal Whoopie Pies – a giant oatmeal cookie sandwiched with Whoopie Pie filling.  Then there were those edible bird nests for Easter, made with melted caramel and pretzel sticks, and filled with jelly beans.

Mom’s cakes rule

Ice box cake was one of my mom’s favorite things in the world.

We’d always make the cake (whipped cream and Waverly Wafers) for Mother’s Day, and whatever we didn’t eat that day was our breakfast for the next morning.

Mom made a pound cake pretty much every day, too.  We enjoyed it … just helping ourselves to the continuous supply left on the kitchen table.

Lemon meringue pie was a big favorite of my aunt Wanda’s. And, my uncle Floyd would make lemon meringue tarts every Christmas.

Another person shared with us her Mother’s Day memories by recounting her mom’s great talent for cake decorating.

This lady worked in the bakery section of a grocery store, decorating their cakes with great skill.

This woman was also family-famous for her Winnie-the-Pooh cakes.

She had a cake mold in the shape of the cute little bear and another mold in the shape of a bride or bride’s maid. Both molds were used interchangeably for wedding showers, baby showers and other functions.

Sweet and fruity and delicious hummingbird cakes were mentioned, too. A southern favorite.

Pasta dinners

Mom and Mother’s Day memories also brought up the topic of pasta.

Many people shared with us their memories of mom’s pasta dishes, including homemade gnocchi.

In this case, more memories of very well-attended family dinners abounded.  Aunts, uncles, grandparents, kids and whoever were around all gathered, quite willingly to dine on gnocchi and bring to the table whatever they were famous for.

Lasagna was a hot topic here, too, with traditional iceberg lettuce salad, homemade dressing, fresh-baked breads, and butter – lots of butter.

Mother’s Day traditions

Memories of mom and Mother’s Day also brought up the tradition of making breakfast in bed for her, followed later in the day with a picnic lunch at a
favorite park.

Those marathon Mom’s-Day hikes came up. And, homemade cards and family craft sessions were included in many people’s favorite mom memories.

One person said, “One year my dad and I made mom a jewelry box – we stained the wood and stuff.”

Mom I’m sure appreciated both the thought, and the box, and the teaching opportunity.

Moms just seem to know, before you do, what your life’s passions might be, and work to cultivate them in you, even if just by lavishing praise on you for your efforts.