Barbara Lawlor, Nederland. Their wish is your command.

From the very first moment a mother lays eyes on her child, she becomes a willing recipient of sleepless nights, random demands, inexplicable temper tantrums and mess. In return she finds crazy joy in the first smile of recognition, a tight hug, a whispered “I love you” from her progeny.

As she teaches her child the basics of getting on in the world, the child teaches her to see the world through new eyes, lenses that are uncorrupted by learning how to get along, that are not skewed by opinion. They grow up together. One can read all the mothering books in the world, but the most valuable information comes from the experts: the infants, the toddlers, the adolescents, and the teens.

On Sunday, families will celebrate Mother’s Day, which was created in 1908 by Anna Jarvis to honor her mother Ann Jarvis, a peace activist who treated wounded soldiers on both sides of the Civil War. Anna campaigned to make Mother’s Day a recognized national holiday. She was successful in her campaign but later denounced the commercialization of the holiday and organized boycotts and threatened lawsuits against the companies that she said had misinterpreted and exploited the idea of the holiday.

Mother’s Day is now associated with a day to spend time with mom, give her a gift of appreciation, make her breakfast in bed, take her out to lunch, draw a picture to stick on the fridge for the rest of the year and maybe a gift certificate for a massage, a luxury treat, just for her.

In Nederland, mountain moms revel in the close knit community that supports each other and all the children of the village, especially the various groups that offer unique and educational experiences to our local kids, from infant reading programs at the library to the Bear Cub program at Wild Bear Mountain Ecology Center.

On Monday, a group of children spent the morning on Wild Bear crafts projects, creating colorful and well-glued gifts for their mothers. Vienn Vaughn, three and a half years old, was intent on her project, as her mom, Amanda, watched. “I love being a mom,” said Amanda. “The best part is that it is ongoing. She teaches me to be a better person and as a mom, I can feel my heart growing. I learn so much from her. I don’t think I could ever learn as much without her.”

When asked what she liked the best about her mom, Vienn answered, “I like Lula, Star Wars, Electric Company and I love my mom.” Lula is her cousin.

Brigitte Johnson and her three daughters were helping out at Wild Bear. Newcomers to the area, having moved into their Magnolia Road area home a week ago, the girls and their mom have been exploring the town, getting to meet people and looking forward to becoming part of the community.

With five children, the Johnsons will become a sizable chunk of the community. Bree is 11; Bella is 12; Barrett is 14; Brennan is 17 and Bailey is 19. Barrett and Brennan will be attending Nederland Middle Senior High School, Bree and Bella are considering their options and Bailey says she is hoping to work at Eldora during the winter and at a restaurant for the summer.

Bree, 11, said her mom’s nickname is “chicken lady,” because of the 120 chickens she cared for in Indiana. “She loves animals. One of the best things about her is her terrible sense of direction…that’s awesome because it is fun and usually leads to adventures. My mother is gleeful, really talkative and I don’t like her sense of style but I guess it is good for her.”

Bella, 12, says she admires how flexible her mom is with all of the kids. Bailey, 19, says, “She is my best friend; we laugh and we talk and she gives me life advice and guidance.

Being the mother of five children who are going into and leaving teenhood could be a daunting challenge, but Brigitte says, “Being a mom is my joy. I love to laugh with the kids, to introduce them to new things, to watch them express the wonder of it all. Sometimes they don’t get it, but I know later on they will thank me. “

Jennifer Karowe picked her two children up from Little Bear Preschool, taking a moment to push them on the swings and talk about motherhood. She said she is happy to be a mother in Nederland. “There are so many other moms who support me. It is wonderful to look at the world through my children’s eyes, to learn to appreciate the little things that they see.

Her son Dylan, 5, says his mom is special because she gives him candy and lets him watch his iPad when he is sick and “It’s not even evening.”

“I like it when she cancels school on a snow day. My favorite thing is when we have Dylan/Mommy days.”

Lizzy Karowe, three and a half, says, “I like it when she doesn’t leave and also when we go to the candy store and get chocolate and bubble gum.”

When asked if they were going to give their mom a kid-free vacation for Mother’s Day, they both responded, “Nooooo!”

That kind of gift is something they will have to grow into. It’s all a work in progress.