14 Apr 2009 10:13 AM

Making Mom A FolkHero(ine) on Mother's Day

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Mom has always been a special person who does extraordinary things in the course of everyday life. She’s been a classroom aide, playgroup supervisor, joker, hairdresser, gourmet cook, cheerleader, and more. This year for Mother’s Day instead of giving her a commercialized impersonal card or box of candy, give her something that lets her know you appreciate what she does and who she is. Make her a folkhero(ine)! Write a folktale about something she has done or said that makes her the unique person she is in your life. Folktales come from memories we keep in our hearts about certain people, places, events, and things. Folktales are individual stories about common themes/categories (known as motifs). Common motifs for Mother’s Day include: • Mother as healer • Mother as homemaker • Mother as smart businesswoman • Mother as helpful neighbor • Mother as artist • Mother’s special birthday (holiday) gift to me Often only one page or two in length, simple family stories about how mom helped you with a school project or made you laugh when you were sad make perfect folktales. Write a few folktales and you’ve got a booklet that she’ll keep forever. Here are some tips for writing folktales: 1) Folktales capture moments in time, not entire histories. So when asking children to write what they remember, ask them to write about one time only. Maybe it’s the birthday cake mom decorated or the time mom brought refreshments for the baseball team. Younger children may need help deciding upon a theme. So give them a few options, such as 1) the best dessert she made (ask what made it the best), or 2) the best game to play with her (why that game?). 2) Folktales are not driven by facts or historical data. Sometimes the folktale’s magic is in the feelings that memories produce. Remember, this is a way to celebrate how mom touches someone’s heart. If big smiles are what children remember, then write about Mom’s Big Smile. Maybe even make up a list of some of the times Mom smiled the most. 3) Folktales do not have to be perfectly written. The beauty of folktales is that they are told from the perspective of the one who is recalling the memory. There are times when a first draft is the most beautiful version. 4) Folktales can be handwritten in a small bound notebook or journal. They can also be written on lined or unlined (even textured) paper or typed into a computer or dictated for someone else to write. Pages can be decorated with crayons, glitter, photographs, and stickers. The more creative the better! Pages can be stapled together or hole-punched and then laced with yarn, ribbon, or string. Folktales are meant to be shared. Historically they were orally passed on from one person to the next. Keep the tradition alive today by taking time on Mother’s Day to read aloud the written folktales or have mom read them aloud to everyone else. It’s a beautiful way to announce to the world what a hero(ine) your mom really is! For more information: http://www.folkheartpress.com or http://folkheartpress.blogspot.com

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