It’s easy to forget all the things your mother has done for you. 

From sacrificing Saturdays for your soccer games and vacation money for your college tuition, to all the time spent listening to you talk about the bad break up you went through (inevitably to be told she’s wrong when you eventually get back together), moms—from the very beginning—push their minds, bodies, and souls to a degree that we kids can’t possibly understand in order to bring us into this world, allow us to grow up, and watch us fly the coop, forgiving us when we forget to check in every once in a while. 

So for Mother’s Day, instead of sending the normal card, flowers, or candy (or honestly forgetting the holiday altogether), we asked moms what they really want to hear from their children. Check out their honest reactions below. 

“Let me sleep through the night.” – Leeza Yeretzian Arakelian

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“Tell them you love them and give lots of hugs.” – Cortney Kern

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“Love them unconditionally. They are doing the best they can for you!”  – Jennifer Mauran

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“Say ‘Thanks mom, love you’ for the little things like the lunch I packed for you at 6 a.m. or the smelly jersey I washed for you at midnight.” – Stephanie Chavez 

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“Know your mom is right 99 percent of the time!” – Erica Breault

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“Mothers are always right! When you don’t do something they say or give you advice, it always backfires.” – Betsey Harrison 

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“Give her love when she needs it and space when she wants it.” –  Kristen Gauthier

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“Give lots of love, help without being asked, and put on your shoes the first time.” – Molly Stach 

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“Just do art on a table. Let mama pee alone. Just share the couch blanket.” – Megan Rose Pare 

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“If your mom shuts the bathroom door it’s not an invitation to join her. Tell her she’s pretty even when she has on her yoga pants and mom bun.”  – Amanda Quint Eason 

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“Take a minute to listen to what is being asked of you. We may tell you ‘no,’ but it’s because we know you’re going to get hurt or something else is going to get hurt!” – Kelsey MacMillan 

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“Please SLEEP!! It’s the best gift of all right now.” – Lorilyn Russell

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“Don’t ever get too old for your mother to read you books at night. Also, please stop taking your shoes off in the car and begging mommy for her food. You already ate.” – Ellen Seibert 

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“This might be for later in your life: Think of me as a person, not just your mom. And find a way to love me with all of my flaws.”  – Michelle Gurdal

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“Tell your mom, ‘Thank you for taking care of me every single day I couldn’t.’” – Joslin Leasca (my actual mom). 

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