Every March 31st my kids go to bed with anxiety because they know how much I love April Fool’s Day and I’m really good at pulling off practical jokes. A couple of years ago, after putting them to bed, my husband suggested that maybe I take the year off of playing jokes because all the kids were pretty nervous. ABSOLUTELY NOT! I said. They are going to love it.
The next morning was similar to Christmas morning. So much excitement as they all ran into the room telling us which jokes worked and which jokes were a complete 
bomb. The mannequin head in the guest bathroom was a success as it got all seven of them. In that simple moment we sat on my bed and laughed together and connected. As their mother I get to share with them everything that I love. And I love to laugh and play jokes and I love April Fool’s Day. I also get to teach them what I’ve experienced.
And I know that sometimes life experiences can be hard. I learned this from my friend Audrey, a true southern black woman from Alabama. As I sat in the hospital room with her she held her sweet new born baby girl in her arms. She looked her baby in the eyes and with complete intensity and sincerity she said, “If I could I would. If I could I would.” And then she placed baby Hazel in my arms and walked out of the room. I held Hazel close to me and cried. As much as I wanted to be her mom my heart broke for this woman, Hazel’s first mom. In that moment she taught me that being a mother means putting our children’s needs above our own, no matter how hard.
Being a mother means that we teach our kids all about what we love, what we know and what we’ve experienced. A line that I use with more kids more often than they’d like is:
“If I teach you anything…”
For example,
If I teach you anything it’s that you shouldn’t wash a new red shirt with whites.
If I teach you anything it’s that you’ll feel happier if you dance while you clean the kitchen.
Well, if my kids have taught ME anything it’s that being a mother means that I get to give my whole self to these people that I love and somehow, some miraculous way, I become a better person for it.
Amy Kroff
2019 Utah Mother of the Year