“Mother’s Day” is a relatable fiction piece by Esmé Kaplan-Kinsey about Milo, a seven-year-old girl making a Mother’s Day gift when her mother isn’t there to accept it. In the thoughts of a little girl, she is able to reflect on her mother’s sudden disappearance and her relationship with her father. Milo decides to give the gift instead to her father, who seems reluctant to accept, instead getting irate and cursing in front of his own young daughter. This story tugs at my heartstrings because both Milo and her dad are broken from the situation, and can strengthen their relationship going forward.

I see myself through this piece. My father passed not even two months after my sixth birthday, and every year I have had to make a gift for my grandfather instead. It’s one of the most bittersweet feelings in the world. On one hand, you’re making someone happy. On the other hand, you’re thinking about how someone else would feel to receive that gift. A quote from the piece which resonates with me is: “And next to me, Amelia is already gluing pink flowers all over her mug, and I wanna do that too, and it doesn’t seem fair that she gets a mug and a mom and I don’t get either.” It makes me feel like I am this seven-year-old girl, feeling as if the universe didn’t want to give me what everyone else had. Later, I’ve learned to accept it. However, Milo is scrambling to understand why she doesn’t get what somebody else has. “Mother’s Day” by Esmé Kaplan-Kinsey is an anthem for those who have this eternal struggle of not being able to celebrate those who gave you life while others can.