The Mother Award by Karen 1. Smith Janice and I met on Main Street at noon hour and pro- ceeded to exchange stories about our kids. What else, you may wonder, since both of us are Moms. Just like Grandmothers and Aunts, we have braggin' rights. That's the best thing about Motherhood in that it always lends anecdotes for interesting small talk or the opportu- nity to complain about the most recent crisis. Every cri- sis, at the time, is always the end of the world, but telling someone else seems to help stabilize our emotional well- being. 1 should point out here that we Mothers help our families through those crises but do we see an award presented at the end of the year for our gallant efforts? Well, no, but since I will never be nominated for an Oscar, for an Emmy, nor even for a Nobel Peace Prize, I do want to raise the issue here. But wait? Nobel PEACE Prize! Don't Mothers spend most of those years, whether Mother of one child with lots of friends, or Mother of more than one, with or without the whole neighbourhood i the back yard, keeping the peace, or at least trying to? Shouldn't there be an off-shoot of the Nobel Peace Prize, a "Keeping the Peace' prize, devoted to Mothers? I think there should be. We need to set up a panel to determine the points sys- tem, You are all welcome to suggest your own reasons for points and bonus points. For instance, for a young mother of two or more very small children who hasn't tasted hot food in five years, how many points? For the mom walking into a bathroom alive with hopping frogs out of a bathtub half full of water, bark, and pine cones. What about the mom who was told that her singing hurt his ears, and she stopped? The mommy who knows every Sesame Street episode, every Simpson episode, and can no longer watch Vickie or Oprah. Shouldn't there also be a "Special for the mom who says their old TV set can only get PBS and TV Ontario. I have five wonderful daughters! If there was a Chil- dren's Award, I would nominate everyone of them (of course, that might ensure brownie points for me for the Mother's Day Award, but I wasn't thinking of that). I am just doing the ground work here. I missed out on a lot of fun during my youth by being shy. I've often told that to my kids, so I should get exira points for passing on that bit of very important advice. I personally know that they have all had a LOT of fun during their active lives, to-date, although I must admit that I had a lot of fun being a Mom, too. Points! I remember on one occasion when an up-coming party was being discussed. Probably we were talking about their list of guests. I may have dissented, I don't remem- ber; all I remember is one of them piping up with "Yeah, Mom, but you like everybody." Wouldn't I get points for that, even though I lost several for those exasperated days when I pouted, yelled, or cried? Yep! Parents, too, pout, shout and/or shed tears when they're frustrated. At college, I took Pollyanna 1, 2, and 3, so, sure, I only got half my credits, but I put as much as I could remember ito practice as a Mom. Points? Even though I have since forgotten much of what 1 learned in that course? 1 need help here drafting up the Mother's Day Award point system. For instance, how many points for: eo the mom who, at 4am, is still icing the birthday cake; e the mother with blue hair dye on her bath towels; e the uncomplaining mom tentatively picking up nose and navel rings from the bathroom counter; Continued on page 20 kRmw Résumé Preparation Typing Bookkeeping Fax Service -- pick up and delivery available -- Rontlnyn WE. Wiatber-MeConthy Tel: 476-9032 / Fax: 476-9111 473 Kelly Road, Cherry Valley -- by appointment please --