I would like to extend sincere gratitude and appreciation to every mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, adoptive mom and every woman who has taken on the role of nurturing lives! As a daughter, I am beyond thankful to have a mom who loves, believes in and cares about my siblings and myself. I really don’t want to know where we would be without our mom. As a granddaughter and a niece, I deeply appreciate the love my grandmas and aunts have given without expectations.

Day after day, moms are called to a higher standard of selfless love for their families — of giving their time, energy and effort to help others live a better life. Moms face a lifetime of responsibility to set an example for those little eyes watching them, those little ears listening to them. It’s 24/7, 365 days a year, no turning back.

Moms should know that whether their kids are still living with them and depending daily on them, or are grown up and have moved away, maybe having children of their own, your love matters so much. Moms’ words, time and efforts matter. Sometimes they haven't gotten our thanks or appreciation, sometimes they’ve gotten a nasty response (especially in our teenage years).

We don’t need our mom to be perfect; we just need her to be our best cheerleader, our greatest encourager, our forehead-kissing superhero, our truth-teller, the person who teaches us, loves us and believes in us, no matter our flaws.

Moms, don’t give up on us!

I cannot wait to have the honor and privilege of being a mom; I am so proud of the woman my mom is.

— Savanah Michael, Highland, Ill.