Tell Us About A Time Mom Stood Up For You

(CBS)  Mother's Day is close at hand, and you can take part in a writing competition to honor or remember your mom, or someone you view as one.

The Early Show, writer Mitch Albom, social media site Gather.com, Royal Caribbean International, and Borders are teaming to bring you the competition.

Just write a short essay telling about a time your mom stood up for you, perhaps when nobody else did.

Gather members will narrow entries down to 10 finalists, and Albom will choose the one he thinks is best.

The winner will be announced on The Early Show on Thursday, May 10. In addition to a trip to New York City to appear with Albom on the show, the winner will get a seven-night cruise for two on Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship, Liberty of the Seas.

For much more on the competition, and to enter, click here. You have until April 25 at 11:59 p.m. to enter.

Albom announced the competition on The Early Show Wednesday.

"We'll pick one winner. That's great," he told co-anchor Harry Smith, "but to me, the best part is, people get to do these things, and maybe they get then share them with their mother, or with their family, and realize, 'Hey, I should have said this sometime earlier!' "

He's the author of "For One More Day," a top-selling novel published in September. It explores the idea of having just one more day with someone you love who has died.

"The way my own mother stood up for me was a driving force behind the writing of 'For One More Day'," Albom says. "In my book, the son never gets to express his gratitude. My hope is that this competition will encourage the entrants to express those feelings, and to honor all the mothers who have so lovingly devoted themselves to their children."

Albom prepared a sample contest submission, which you can see by clicking here.

[armymomof3]

If I wasn't your mother who would your mother be, if I wasn't your mother would you even be? I heard that when I was a little girl and now I tell this to my kids. My mother Marjorie, so many wonderful loving memories but yet so many missed opportunities to tell her until I became a mother myself. My mother has always been the strong one in our family; mother of a daughter who has Cerebral Palsy, wife of a husband who has gone through cancer, stroke and now Parkinson's and just always being there for her everyone. Growing up we didn't live a normal life, we didn't take vacations nor did we do the things that other had the chance to do because of our situation with my sister, but as I grew older I realized that we had something that others were looking for, Love and so much of it! So to my mother who continues to take care of her husband, my sister and the rest of her family; I love you and I thank you, because I am more like you everyday!

[aliciarthomas]

As a teenage girl, I'm expected not only to fight with but to resent my mother--which, to me, seems ludicrous. I mean, I understand the generalization; I've been a witness to the frighteningly disrespectful spats that my friends have gotten into with their mothers. But the aforementioned friends are confounded by the fabulous relationship between my own mother and myself, and I think I've finally figured out why. Teenage girls are not the ridiculous, unreasonable creatures that adults seem to think we are about our relationships with our parents--many girls just can't sense their mothers' love for them. Luckily for me, I've never been one of those girls; I've never born the burden of wondering whether or not my mother loves me enough, all because of a single event in the fifth grade.
At age eleven, children are fragile and confused. They have no idea who they are (child? adolescent?) and are going through a plethora of awkward changes. My awkward change was a rapid growth spurt, one in which my height couldn't keep up with my width. I was, for lack of a better or more sensitive word, rotund. My smile revealed chubby cheeks and braces, and my permed bob did nothing to improve my looks. However, thanks again to my mother, I have always been naturally charming, so the boys still had little crushes on me. It was the girls who were catty and brutal. One day after school in particular, a vicious girl alerted me that they had stopped carrying "fat girl" sizes at the Limited Too and told me that she could see the fat rolls right through my discontinued, extra-large tee shirt. I was mortified, and turned to run to the comfort of my mother's car, only to find that she was just behind me and had heard the entire exchange. I clung to her skirt, waiting for her to stand up for me and whisk me off into safety. Her eyes burned angrily as she hastily spat out a rebuttal to that bratty little girl, something about her unevenly spaced and crooked teeth, and, satisfacted when the girl ran for her own mother, got onto her knees in front of me. She held my face in her hands and said to me, quietly but clearly, "You are beautiful. You always have been, you always will be. Nothing will ever change that." As unethical as it may have been for a thirty-year-old woman to insult a fifth-grader, that has always remained in my mind as the moment I realized just how much my mother loved me. And even now, with all the insecurities of your average teenage girl, I remember that I'm beautiful. Because my mother told me so.

[gemcgill]

I will try to tell you about my Mom in the alloted time I have, but it will be very hard. My Mom, Mrs. Gladine Wilson is by far the most caring, open-hearted, sensitive and loving woman anybody would be lucky, to be blessed with her presence. She was left with 5 children to raise when my Father passed away in 1967. I Gwenith, was the oldest at 13 of 5 children. Because of my Mother's strength, independence, pride, and recognizing that she was a proud Black women, I love who I am. Growing up all of our friends loved her. She worked a full time job at General Motors and still found time to be a PTA mother, go to all of the football and basketball games my brothers played in, take my sisters to cheerleader practice and to dance classes. I had a lot of responsibility and I loved every bit of it. I felt needed and I never complained because my Mom never complained. My Mom retired and moved to Arkansas, where she has been recognized twice in the local newspaper for doing a human service. She loves to help everyone, No matter what color, race or creed. I just want every one to meet her and I want her to know how much my siblings and I love her. She is 76 years old and still going strong. She is active in church, goes to all of the basketball games, and she is very active in the Senoir Citizens Center. I love my Mom and I want the world to meet her. Thank you.
Sincerely, Gwenith E. Mcgill
9609 Simple Life Ave
Las Vegas, NV 89148
702)597-3034 HM

[mikealford3]

My mom has stood strong for my family many times. In 1984, I was fourteen years old and riding a moped just outside of our little town. I made a U-turn to come back to town and was hit by a pick-up truck. As a result my left leg was removed just below the knee. My mom was with me almost every day I was in the hospital. From July 6th until October, my mom was there to comfort me and sit with me at mid-night when I really didn't want to live. Again in the late 80's early 90's my mom stood strong again. My father was diagnosed with a health condition that ultimately killed his liver. The only way to save his life was a liver transplant and my mom traveled from N.C. to Pittsburg, Pa. to be by his side for weeks as he had the transplant and recovered. Again in 2001 my mom stood strong. October 23, 2001 I was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The tumor was 8 cm in diameter and was determined by the doctors to be cancer. My mom has stood strong beside my father and me through everything. I am so blessed and greatful to have such a mother.

[nikmat-2009]

My name is Niklas and I am writing for my autistic brother Mathew who cannot do it for himself. My mother stopped working her job for two years so that she could be at home with him and learn his therapies. After he got better at telling us what he wanted mom got him in school but that wasn't all she did. She had to go to meetings before a committee and ask for special things for Mathew. Stuff that normal kids get without asking for it. Pretty soon Mathew will be in kindergarten and she is getting nervous but I know she will get everything he needs. His meeting isn't until the summer but mine already happened. I have trouble understanding what people say and so mom has to make sure that the teachers and school get me extra help like tutors and an extra set of books at home for studying. I think my mom is pretty special for everything she has done to fight for us and I hope you do to.

P.S.: I hope it is okay that my dad help me with writing this.

[cboucher2005]

My mother, words could not possibly be enough to describe her. My mother has stood up for my sister, my brother, my dad, and I, numerous times, even if in those times we were wrong. Out of all the times that my mother has stood up for me, I will always remember and cherish this one the most. It all started when I was in elementary school. I was constantly being ridiculed for my behavior in the classroom. I was called on a regular basis "the class clown", and often sent to the principles office. My teachers began setting aside monthly parent-teacher meetings because apparently I talked too much. During one of the meetings they explained that I was constantly socializing. My mother simply replied "thank you", with a huge smile on her face, as if it was a compliment. "I am so proud that Catherine stands out in the classroom, she has such an amazing personality, and we are very proud of her", she said. I will always remember my mother standing up for me that day, for it was that day that I realized it was okay to be the "class clown", my mother taught me so.

[bernie1259]

My mom should be considered a super mom, because she has 12 children. She stands by each and everyone of us no matter what. She is as always right there to lend a helping hand, a sympathetic ear,a strong shoulder (for the many tears that have flowed) and when she could financially. She doesn't jusdge and never lets us forget how important each and everyone of us are.
She has seen everything with us, not mush hasn't been covered and she stands strong beside us. Even when she was fighting breast cancer and was so sick she was there.

[harp1963]

My Mom was the daughter of Irish immigrants. She stood up for me by beating some humility into me. I grew up in a steel mill town where it was easy to go down the wrong path. I don't know about all the goofy disorders the poor kids have to suffer through today by being labeled as flawed, but I can tell you that when I got in trouble outside of home, that meant an a$$ whipping when I got home. We didn't call my mother our "Wild Irish Rose" for fun.

[prncssusie]

I don't think it is possible to really put into words what my mother has done for me over the years. I was quite a handful with ADHD, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and Tourette Syndrome. My sister had ADD as well. I had many problems paying attention in school and I couldn't even sit down to do math because I didn't understand it. I never thought I would succeed. My mother sat through every painful hour of every math problem with me. Junior High School was difficult too, kids knew that there was "something wrong" with me, but my mom kept telling me that I was exactly how God wanted me and that she loved me no matter what. In High School I joined marching band, choir, and theater. Everyone knows that these things take up countless hours of working. She drove me to school, picked me up, paid for uniforms, came to competitions, and chaperoned as well. I knew I had her support. Without her, I wouldn't have been able to do ANY of that. I am now coming up on my senior year of college, but I know that without my mother, none of this would have been possible. She has helped me be strong. She has helped me stand up for myself. She has helped me become the woman that I am today. She always told me to NEVER give up on my dreams. There have been times when I didn't know if I could handle my major, Spanish Teacher Education. I know that on Graduation Day, I will look in the audience and see my mother. I will be grateful because without her, I would not have been able to succeed.

[kimritchi]

How can I honor my Mother in words.........
There is so much she has done for me now and always I wouldn't even know where to begin....not just me but eveyone around her. She is always helping no matter what they ask of her.
She is a nurse and her caring and nurturing does not stop, even when shes not at work.
If you need need a favor she's always there to....Babysit , make you food whenever your hungry (and even when your not), give you a ride at the last minute if your car breaks down, she'll bake you a cake for any event, or what really matters is she's just there WHENEVER i need her.......I don't know what In the world I would ever do with out my Mom........And for that i honor her everyday!
I Love You Mom!
Posted With Love: From Kim Ritchison
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