5 A Good Mom

Inspired by “A Mother’s Work” in Braiding Sweetgrass

On a Friday in early May, when Jane was walking home from school, she thought about her teacher’s assignment: “Write a paragraph about what makes your mom a good mom.” This assignment was made because Sunday was Mother’s Day, and Jane’s teacher wanted to do something special for the mothers of the students in her class.

Jane walked on the same path that she always took on her way home from school. Except this time, she focused on the small details around her that reminded her of her mom.

Before Jane crossed the street in front of the school yard, she watched as Mr. Walker, the school’s crossing guard, stopped traffic for a duck and her ducklings to cross the road. Jane followed behind and watched closely as the mother duck guided her ducklings to the safe grass on the other side of the road. “She is a good mom,” thought Jane.

After Jane crossed the road, she followed the sidewalk along her regular path, smiling to herself as she thought about the ducklings and their mother. Then, she heard loud chirping sounds coming from a nearby tree. Looking closely, Jane spotted a small nest, where three tiny robin hatchlings were opening and closing their beaks, chirping to the open air. “I wonder where their mother is,” thought Jane. Just in time, a robin flew across the air and landed on the edge of the nest, holding a long, wiggly worm. The hatchlings threw their heads back and opened their beaks as wide as they could. The robin lowered the worm and dropped it in the hatchlings’ mouths. “She is a good mom,” thought Jane.

Passing the tree, Jane walked into the grassy land toward the stream near her house. Walking slowly and looking around for more ideas, Jane spotted the neighborhood cat with her two kittens. Jane watched as the cat bathed her babies, making sure not to miss a spot. “She is a good mom,” thought Jane.

Finally reaching the stream in the backyard of her house, Jane leapt over the water to the other side. She turned around and looked down into the water at a small toad and her tadpoles. The tadpoles had sprouted their legs and were learning how to hop. Jane watched as the frog hopped once. Her babies hopped behind her. “She is a good mom,” thought Jane.

When Jane got home, she ran to her room and quickly got out her notebook and pencil. She titled the paper, “My Mom,” and began to write her paragraph.

Jane wrote:

“My mom is a good mom. When I took a walk in Nature after school, I noticed how some animals took care of their children. A mother duck protected and guided her ducklings, a mother robin fed her hatchlings, a mother cat cleaned her kittens, and a mother frog taught her tadpoles how to hop with their new legs. My mom protects and guides me just like the duck. She feeds and cleans me like the robin and the cat. She also teaches me new things like the frog. She is a good mom.”