Chicken Soup for the Soul Collection Shows Moms Just How Much They're Appreciated

Traci Langston viewed herself as shy and insecure, but her mother taught her a valuable lesson anyway: “The worst they can say is ‘no.’” Traci has learned to ask for what she wants, whether it’s something as simple as a better table in a restaurant, or as big as auditioning for a part in a play. This philosophy has led Traci to ask men out on dates, get prices lowered on things she’s buying, and even get a new job. Why? According to Tracy, “Because I asked. Because my mom was right.”

She was so frazzled she didn’t even know she was hungry, so when Abbie Dunlap’s mother swooped in to help her daughter with her newborn, that was one of the first problems she solved. She also sent her exhausted daughter to bed and stayed up all night with the baby. “Despite me being twenty-seven years old, my mom took care of me. I did not ask her to; she just did it. She didn’t sleep so that I could,” says a grateful Abbie.

Miranda Lamb was a difficult teenager, telling her mother that she hated her dozens of times. She didn’t think she needed her mother at all, and she moved out at age eighteen even though her mother told her she wasn’t ready. A few months later, Miranda called her mom late one night, crying and feeling helpless. Her mother merely said, “I’ll be right there.” Later that night, Miranda said “I love you” to her mother for the very first time.

These are but three of the 101 stories in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Mom Knows Best , which we call a “gift to moms, grandmothers, stepmothers, mothers-in-law, or honorary mothers, with stories that will make them laugh, tear up, nod their heads in recognition, and most importantly—know they’re appreciated.” That appreciation is important, because mothers spend years imparting unsolicited advice and often don’t hear much gratitude until their children are grown. It is a wonderful way for children of all ages to let their mothers and grandmothers know how much they are loved, how important their influence has been, and how much their children rely on them for comfort, too. It’s also a terrific way to admit to Mom that no matter what, we always end up agreeing that she’s right… and that we’re going to emulate her!

Amy Newmark