We Love Our Mother

ATTENTION!!!! Dads you are in charge of this lesson!!!

Preparation: Have each member of the family (excluding mom) find a favorite picture of themselves with their
mom. Gather 10 paper cups, masking tape, and a small ball for the activity. Print out all word strips and tags for
activity. Prepare Mom’s favorite dessert ahead of time for refreshments.

Objective: To give the family an opportunity to express their thoughts and feelings about their mother and to
learn the importance of showing love and appreciation for her beyond Mother’s Day.

Opening Song: “Mother Dear,” Children’s Songbook, pg 206)

Opening Prayer: DAD

Scripture: Proverbs 31:28 “Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.”

Introduction: Read the following quote from Elder M. Russell Ballard, “A mother’s nurturing love arouses in
children, from their earliest days on earth, an awakening of the memories of love and goodness they experienced
in their premortal existence. Because our mothers love us, we learn, or more accurately remember, that God also
loves us.”

Discuss:
• Have each child take turns showing their favorite picture with their moms. Let each child take a few
minutes explaining why this picture is their favorite. You might want to prompt them with questions
such as…do you remember what you were doing with mom in this picture? Do you remember how
you felt with mom when you were with her?
• Did Jesus have a mother? (hold up picture) Talk about Mary and have the kids give some of their
ideas about what they think Mary must have been like. Ask the family if they think their mother has
any of the same qualities that Mary did. What good qualities does their mother have?
• How you do think Jesus treated His mother?
• Did He treat her that way all of the time or just some of the time?
• How should we treat our mother? Reiterate that we treat her this way all of the time just as the
Savior did.

Story: Read “The Butler Did It!”

Discuss:

• Ask the family what effect Andy’s actions had on his mother. (She felt the Spirit more in church the
next day and felt so happy because things were a lot more calm in the house.)
• Talk about the commitment Andy made at the end of the story to be more helpful to his mother ALL
of the time, not just on Mother’s day.

Activity: “Getting to know Mom. . . even better” (See enclosed instructions)

Challenge and Follow Up: Pass out tags. Have each child list one simple thing they can do each day to show
love and appreciation for their mom. Hang quote and tags on fridge as a reminder throughout the week.

Closing Song: Mom’s favorite

Closing Prayer:

Refreshment: Mom’s favorite dessert

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 “The Butler Did It,”
by Janice Graham, Friend, May 1999,

It’s the same every Mother’s Day. I ask my mom what I can give her, she stops what she’s doing, takes my face
in her hands, smiles her what-a-wonderful-boy-you-are-smile, and says, “A poem and a kiss. That’s all I need.”

Well, that always sounds pretty wimpy to me. I mean, a guy in sixth grade just doesn’t go for that mushy stuff. I
usually end up giving her one of my drawings. But this particular Mother’s Day had to be different. Mom
needed something bigger than a poem, something better than a kiss, and something bolder than a drawing.

Dad lost his job a couple months ago. He’s been looking hard for a new one and doing freelance work whenever
he can get it, but Mom always looks worried. She’s been substituting at the elementary school for a teacher who
just had a baby. The fifth grade class is noisy and rowdy, and she comes home real tired. Then she has to cook
dinner and do laundry and make phone calls for her Church calling. This was no ordinary Mother’s Day. I had to
think up an awesome present.

I was watching an old movie on TV, when I got an idea. A great idea! I checked out my wardrobe and decided I
had what I needed. I did a little practicing in front of the mirror and figured I could pull it off. I was all set. Not
only would my present help Mom out, but it would make her laugh, too.

It was the Saturday morning before Mother’s Day. I had already told my friends that I wouldn’t be joining them
for our usual bike ride. I got up pretty early for a change, and instead of putting on a T-shirt and jeans, I put on a
white dress shirt, my dark Sunday suit, and my Sunday shoes. I wet my hair and slicked it back. I stood up
straight, threw back my shoulders, stuck out my chin, and walked up to Mom, who was putting a load of dirty
clothes in the washing machine. I never thought it would be so hard to keep a smile off my face. But I had to.

“Madam,” I said in a formal voice, my eyebrows raised. “I am Andrews, your Butler-for-the-Day.”

Mom looked up from her work with a start. “Andy! You’re all dressed up! Where in the world are you going? Is
there a funeral? What was that you said?”

“What I said, Madam,” I replied in my most stately manner, “is that I am your Mother’s Day Butler.” I bowed
slightly, just like the guy in the movie. No smiling allowed, I told myself.

Mom was speechless, so I continued, “You may call me Andrews. This entire day I will be at your complete
disposal. You have merely to ask, and I will immediately carry out your orders. Your wish is my command.”
Now I was sounding more like a movie genie, but Mom didn’t seem to notice. She hadn’t laughed like that in
weeks, which made it even harder not to smile.

“Are you serious?” Mom asked when she regained control of herself.

“Sure I am—I mean—most assuredly, Madam. What will you have me do first?”

“This is such a treat!” Mom exclaimed. “How about, … well, … would you mind setting the table for
breakfast?”

“Certainly, Madam,” I said. Giving her another bow, I went to work.

“What’s Andy doing, Mom?” I heard my twin sisters ask. They were being total pests, as usual. “Why is he
wearing his Sunday clothes?”
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“Yeah, what’s up, Andy?” said Dad, coming in from the garage.

“Andrews is my Butler-for-the-Day,” Mom proclaimed like the queen of the world.

My sisters stared holes in me while I poured the orange juice. I guess they weren’t used to seeing me help in the
kitchen. My next job was to pull weeds in the front yard. Not a very distinguished, butler-type job, but I did it
anyway, even though my Sunday shoes got caked with mud. Mom was really taking this thing seriously!

I had promised myself that no matter what Mom asked me to do, I would do it in true butler style, without a
wince. It wasn’t hard, really. She wanted the furniture rearranged and the carpet vacuumed. As long as I had the
vacuum out, she said I could clean under the sofa cushions. I crawled on the floor and polished the table and
chair legs. I climbed the ladder and dusted the ceiling fan. I hefted overloaded laundry baskets and put clothes
away. If the doorbell rang, I hurried to answer it in my formal manner and announced visitors. I picked up the
phone before it had a chance to ring twice, and I made some of Mom’s calls for her. Mom smiled and giggled
over everything I did. I merely bowed and said, “What further service would Madam wish?” Then she’d smile
again.

She kept me busy just about all day. I didn’t slow down until she did, which was after dinner. I put a white dish
towel over my arm and served ice water on the porch to her and Dad while they watched the sunset.

“That will be all, Andrews,” said Mom, faking an English accent. Then she laughed and acted like her regular
self. “Andy, this was the best Mother’s Day present I’ve ever had. I feel like I’ve had a vacation! I didn’t even
have to answer the phone all day!” She let out a big sigh. “I can’t tell you how good it feels to be caught up with
my housework—and to have such a willing worker!”

“Very good, Madam,” I said. “Will that be all?” I didn’t want to break character while I was still in costume.
Mom chuckled and then regally waved me away. “I sure love you!” she called after me, as I hurried to get my
Sunday clothes clean for the next day.

The “real” Mother’s Day, Sunday, was a pretty good one. Mom was relaxed and happy. In sacrament meeting,
she kept smiling at me with a double-mushy, wonderful-boy look. At home, every two minutes she raved about
her Butler-for-the-Day. She kept saying how she could feel the spirit of the Sabbath day so much better in an
orderly house.

The twins, however, stared at me with something less than stars in their eyes. They had gone the poem-and-a-
kiss route.

“I wish I’d thought of that butler thing,” one of them said.

“Well, I know what I’m going to do,” the other one said. “I’m going to ask Mom if I can be her lady’s maid all
day next Saturday.”

“I have dibs on the next Saturday! Let’s dress up and call her mum, and curtsy!”

They ran up to the attic to look for a costume. Once my sisters get an idea, there’s no stopping them, even if it’s
somebody else’s. But if they want to steal my idea and be lady’s maids, that’s fine with me. Being Butler-for-
the-Day was pretty strenuous. Once a year is about all Andrews can handle. But I guess Andy could help out a
little more regularly. Only I’m not wearing a suit to do it—no way!

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Take ten paper cups and write a number on the bottom of each cup, numbering them from 1 to 10. Use masking
tape to mark a long line on the floor at one end of the room. Mix up the cups and place them on the line. On the
other end of the room mark a small line on the floor with masking tape. One family member rolls a ball from the
short line to the cups on the long line, trying to knock a cup off the line. If he knocks a cup off the line he reads
the number in the cup. He then draws a statement from the bowl and reads the statement to the rest of the family
inserting the number on the bottom of the cup after “Name . . .” The family then does what the statement says.

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Cut out tags and pass out one to each family member. Have them write one thing they can do EACH DAY to
sow love and appreciation to Mother.

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Mary’s Heart by Liz Lemon Swindle

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