Mother’s Day. It is a day of joy and celebration. But for many, it also invokes a lot of pain. Our kids here at Cookson Hills navigate both sides of these emotions. Some miss being at home with their mom to celebrate, others mourn their mom’s passing, and others imagine what life could have been like had their mom stuck around. That’s a lot to process for anyone, let alone a kid.
And that is what makes this Mother’s Day story so special.
A few weeks before Mother’s Day, a few of our middle school girls decided they wanted to do something to celebrate our housemoms. So together, Maggie, Lilly, Taniya, Mackenzie, and Hannah pooled their allowance, made gifts, snacks, candles, and wrote encouragement notes to show the housemoms how much they appreciate them.
I wanted to have a party for my housemom because I’ve been a bit of a troublemaker lately and I thought she could use a break.
Taniya, Class of 2026
The moms here really never stop working. I wanted to give them a chance to relax, share stories, and laugh with people who relate with what they go through every day.
Maggie, Class of 2025
On Mother’s Day, the girls made sure everything was in order: the home was clean, decorated, the gifts were all laid out, and then they left. The housemoms got three whole hours of uninterrupted, snack-filled, peace, and joy! The party was an absolute success!!
The girls all acknowledge that kids don’t always share their love and appreciation to parents well. But they wanted to take a moment and process these feelings.
My mom means a lot to me. Not only did she adopt me, but she was my housemom first. I was placed with the Henson’s when I was 4 years old. Even though I gave/give her a lot of trouble, she still tells me she loves me and gives me hugs. Mom, I love you. I know I give you problems, I’m sorry. And I still love you.
Maggie, Class of 2025
I don’t like the thought of not being loved. Even though I can be argumentative and stubborn- my mom let’s me know that she will love me no matter what. It’s nice to know that even after I cause a lot of trouble- that that love is still there. Mom, I love you. Thank you for being there.
Lilly, Class of 2026
My housemom means a lot to me. She tries to calm me down. It doesn’t always work, but she tries. She’s been there with me and for me since day one; I’m surprised she hasn’t tried to run away yet. She still cares. Mom, I love you. Even though I can be a troublemaker and a brat sometimes, it’s nice to know that you still love me either way.
Taniya, Class of 2026
With the example of God’s unconditional love as their guide, our houseparents do their best to model this to our kids in every interaction. It doesn’t mean that everything is perfect. It doesn’t mean that every kid will choose to start their Better Story here. But it does mean that our kids will experience a type of grace, love, and acceptance that they may have never experienced before. And that is why they wanted to celebrate housemoms this Mother’s Day.
