Moms Are Our Heroes
Mother’s Day is around the corner! For so many of us, our love of books began with our mothers or grandmothers. From bed time stories to library trips with the whole family, books are at the heart of our most cherished childhood memories. Taking time to share a book can help to grow the bond between mother and child and support a life long love of stories. Below, Tandem staff members share some of their favorite book-related memories with their moms and grandmas.
Molly Wertz
When I was small there were lots of little kids – each of us two years apart. Naptime was a daily ritual, but it changed in its nature over time. It had always involved our Mama reading to us – from colorful storybooks to the Pooh stories or the Green or Red Fairy Books. As we got older, the requirement to sleep after she was done reading fell away. Our nap evolved to become her nap – she re-christened this afternoon ritual as the “reading nap.” We didn’t have to sleep, but we were not allowed to get off the bed. We could take as many books as we wanted onto the bed, but once we were on there we were not allowed to get off until she came to get us.
To this day one of my favorite things to do is climb into bed with a pile of books on a Sunday afternoon and take a reading nap. My mother gave me both the gifts of books as a window into the world where I could face scary beasts (those Fairy books are brutal!) and find ways to enjoy a world over which I didn’t have much control (Pooh is a touchstone of mindfulness), along with the deep knowledge that sitting still for a bit, and taking a journey through books can create respite and provide a helpful re-set in a challenging world.
Laura Rodriguez
I remember two things about my mom very vividly. One was the look on her face the first time I read a book on my own. We were sitting on the floor in front of the sliding glass door. I remember the sensation of the warm sun on my skin on the day that I read Goodnight Moon for the very first time. In retrospect, I know that I had memorized most of it, but the warm hug and the pride of on my mom’s face lives with me to this day. The second thing I remember was that we went to the library every week. There were four of us girls, and we always left with a huge stack of books. Understandably, my mom always had tons of late fees to pay.
Lucas Poynter
My Mammaw had to drop out of school when she was a kid and didn’t get to learn how to read. She started working to provide for her family when she was 10 years old. Mammaw raised three children, and when she became a grandmother, she decided to go back to school and learn how to read. She had a tutor for years, and she finally graduated when I was in middle school. Her final assignment was to make a cookbook with all of her own recipes, and she gave a copy to everyone she knew. I still have mine. This grouchy old woman is a superstar!
Emily Thompson
When I was in Kindergarten, I could almost read, but I still had a ways to go. One of my favorite books was from the Berenstain Bears collection. It was the one about the little sister always biting her nails and what a terrible habit that was! I asked my mom to read it to me so often that I eventually had the book memorized. I proudly went to school and announced to everyone that I knew how to read. Then I demonstrated my abilities by bringing my Berenstain Bears book to school. Of course, my ruse fell apart the minute I was asked to read any other book. But I was well on my way to becoming a reader! And it’s all thanks to my mom – who would read a book over and over and over for me if I wanted. Thanks, Mom!
Sara Rizik-Baer
My Mom would read to my brother and I each night in her bed. She would nestle between us, my brother and I cuddled up on each side, and we would each get to pick a book for her to read to us. Sometimes, she would pick a book to read to us over long periods of time. One of these books I remember with incredible fondness was Charlotte’s Web. I will never forget the voices she would make for each character, especially Templeton the rat.
One scene I will never forget was when Templeton returns to Wilbur very fat and satisfied after finding a lot of garbage and scraps to eat. My mother deepened her voice and brought Templeton’s humor to life as she sighed, ” I’m baaaaaaaack.” I remember finding this hilarious and laughing with her for days afterwards. To this day, all I have to do to make her laugh is deepen my voice and exclaim, “I’m baaaaaack” like Templeton. This fond memory from my childhood still brings us laughter and sweet memories of connections we made over books.
Julie Barton
For me, there are tons of great memories. One that stands out is my mom would read me The Best Christmas Pageant Ever every Christmastime. She would do all the voices of the troublesome Herdman children as they take over the local pageant. In addition to the fun story, I cherished that quiet time with her, where she would focus on just me and the story, and the rest of the world seemed to fade away in the background.
David Lee
There is no doubt that the books my mom fed me when I was young made me who I am today. She took turns with my dad to read to my brothers and me on a nightly basis. I LOVED these moments and was always eager to get into pajamas and curl up on the bed to dive into that evening’s story, or two! My mom always did her best to make sure I had all the books my heart could desire – from being able to shop at the Scholastic Book Fair, to borrowing them from the public library, to subscribing to Zoobooks. I ate them all up and was always ready for seconds. Looking back today, I have an even greater appreciation for the lengths my mom went to in ensuring books were aplenty in my life, so thanks Mom!
Kaitlin Pearce
As soon as I was old enough to turn the pages in a book and invent my own stories from the pictures, my mom started taking my older brother and I to our local library. I remember looking up in awe at the stacks and stacks of books and learning how to find a book using the card catalog system. I would gather as many books as my small arms could carry, often the same copy of a classic version of Beauty and the Beast, and spend countless afternoons pouring over the books both with my mother and on my own.
We’ve come a long way from the paper catalog system, and I now find myself checking out library books online or using a Kindle to read, but the magic of discovering new stories and traveling to a far away land is as strong as it ever was. I am so thankful my mom gave me this life long gift of reading.
Kelsey Gottschalk
My most vivid memories of reading with Mom are from summer vacation in my elementary years. Every day when we sat down to lunch, Mom would pick up where we left off in our latest chapter book and read aloud to my brother and me. First it was the whole Narnia series. Then Harry Potter. I was so engrossed in these stories that every page or so my mother would have to pause, look at me sternly, and remind me to eat. “Bite” she would say and wait until I took a hasty bite before she went on.
I was recently reminiscing about these daily storytimes with my mom, when she told me that in fact my deep fascination with books started much earlier. When I was just one year old, my mom used to put a stack of books in my crib to keep me distracted when she needed some time to do housework or choreography or accounting. She said six or seven books per hour was about the right number, but she had to be careful because if she finished what she was doing before I finished examining each and every page of each and every book within my reach, then it would be a struggle to get me to move from where I was.
My mother’s mother, “Granny,” knew the power of books too and made me my very own wordless book shortly after I was born, out of magazine clippings and old greeting cards. I would pore over those pictures with her as she talked me through the imagery on each page, laying the groundwork for the avid reader and linguist I would become.
Odette Cifuentes
My mom owns a printing company in Guatemala, and we had the chance to see the process of publishing a book. We even got to read the pages while it was printing! When I was a kid, my mom used to read to my siblings and I after we ate dinner. I remember the smell of fresh ink when she would open the books, the excitement, and all the faces and noises she would make in order to engage us. My brother and I would make my mom read us Guess How Much I Love You every day, even if she got other books for us. We just loved that book! For me, reading time was my favorite time because I had the chance to sit down with my mom and my siblings before going to sleep and have some family time.
We Love Moms!
Moms are heroes! We at Tandem owe so much to our moms, and we know how important it is to say thank you. A great way to say thanks while helping other moms make memories with their little ones is to send her a Mother’s Day card from Tandem. Your purchase of a card from Tandem gives the gift of books to moms in the Bay Area. Honor your mom with a card for her and books for children and families who need them. You can learn more by visiting our Mother’s Day page.
Dwyn Asher
AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteer, Programs
Dwyn joined Tandem in March 2017. She graduated from School of Visual Arts with a BFA in Photography in 2012. After graduating, Dwyn moved to Israel to work at an Israeli newspaper. She later moved to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam to teach English to both children and adults. She is born and raised in the Bay Area and lives with Lysander, her cat, named after a character from Dwyn’s favorite Shakespeare play. When she’s not at work, Dwyn is most likely in the kitchen or planning her next adventure.
